Severus's Reflection
by severus297
Summary: Harry's uncle torments him to the brink of suicide; will he accept Severus's offer to help? May be slash later...
1. Default Chapter

Title: Severus' Reflection  
  
Author: Severus297  
  
Disclaimer: This is the only time I'm going to say this: I own none of the characters at the moment, just the plot. There may be some discrepancies, and feedback is greatly welcomed. This is my first and only story, so please, don't be too harsh on me. I only do the best I can.  
  
Anyway, enjoy your reading! **************************************************************************** **********************************************  
  
Tuesday, July 31, Harry's 16th birthday. Aunt Petunia's screeches for him to cook Dudley's breakfast jolt him from sleep. The pig himself started banging on the door.  
  
"Get up and make my breakfast, freak!"  
  
Harry sat up and put his broken glasses on. He went down to the kitchen and began frying the bacon, his own stomach growling impatiently. He retrieved the bread from the cupboard and moved to put it in the toaster. While his back was turned, Dudley snuck into the kitchen, turned the burner up as high as it can go, and slipped out again.  
  
A few minutes later, smoke fills the otherwise white kitchen. As Harry frantically tried to clear it, Dudley walked in.  
  
"Mum! Dad!" he yelled. "Harry's burning the food! There's smoke everywhere!"  
  
Uncle Vernon stormed in, face purple. Harry turned the burner off and put the unburned bacon onto a plate.  
  
"YOU!" He yanked Harry around to face him. "Why's there smoke in my kitchen, boy?"  
  
"I-I-I don't know, sir," Harry stuttered quietly. Vernon pushed him roughly against the wall.  
  
"LIAR! You were trying to burn my son's food, you imbecile!" Harry tried to explain that he wasn't doing that, but he was slapped in the face.  
  
Behind his uncle, Dudley snickers. "You're going to get it this time, freak!"  
  
With an evil smirk, Vernon lifted the still burning hot frying pan, the bacon grease sliding to the edge of the pan, and pressed it up against Harry's face. Dudley grabbed Harry's arms while Vernon started beating Harry with the pan. As Harry struggled not to cry out too loudly, Vernon began kicking and punching him as hard as possible. He got Harry so hard in the stomach, he thought he was going to throw up. Then his uncle walked out.  
  
Harry struggled to catch his breath, Dudley still holding his arms. 'Some sixteenth birthday,' he thought to himself. 'Isn't this supposed to be one of the best days of my life?'  
  
His uncle returns to the kitchen, this time with his leather belt with the steel clasp.  
  
"Oh no!" Harry moaned as his uncle folds it in half and tests it on his hand.  
  
"Oh, yes!" Uncle Vernon says, malice in his voice and a horrible smile on his lips. "It's been too long since you've been beaten. And I think you really need it!" He turned to his son. "You can pick out something as well, Dudders."  
  
Dudley grinned as though it were Christmas come early. "I'm going to be a little less harsh," he said, "because I really don't have much energy today." He picked up the stainless steel spatula Harry was using to flip the bacon and walked back to where his father and cousin were.  
  
"Pray for your own death, you worthless pile of shit!" Uncle Vernon said, swinging the belt around. It connected with the side of Harry's face, sending his glasses across the floor. Then Dudley began whacking Harry's arms with the spatula. The pain sears from every inch of Harry's body, consuming his brain. He sees the blood seep out from previous wounds as they are reopened before he passes out on the cold kitchen tile.  
  
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September 1, the Start of Term Feast at Hogwarts. Everyone is present, including Harry. He sits on the end, apart from the others at the Gryffindor table, and listens as his sixth year mates laugh and joke with each other. While everyone else was getting seconds, he was playing with the barely touched food in front of him, taking a sip of pumpkin juice every now and then. He'd avoided everyone on the train and refused to talk when they arrived at the school. As soon as he'd boarded the train, he put several charms on himself to hide the marks that remained from the summer. He didn't want anyone to see what had happened to him, but he knew he'd have to talk to his friends. He'd have to pretend to be normal.  
  
He started to get the feeling someone was staring at him, and he looked up.  
  
It was Professor Snape.  
  
He was watching Harry with a sort of curious look on his face, but when Harry looked at him, he sneered and turned away.  
  
'Figures. Slimy bastard.' Harry thought and returned to his barely eaten dinner.  
  
It seemed to take forever for the Headmaster to give them his usual speech. After the same old warnings and some new announcements, he let them go to bed. Harry weaved his way through the crowd, got the password from Nearly Headless Nick, and was the first to the sixth year boys' dormitory. When he curled up in his bed, he prayed that he would get a decent night's sleep, void of any nightmares.  
  
The next morning at breakfast, their new schedules were passed out. Grabbing his, Harry saw that he had Transfiguration, Charms, DADA, and Potions for the first day. Ron sat down across from Harry, schedule in hand and already complaining.  
  
"McGonagall and Snape in the same day," he griped. "This is where our lives end." Harry grinned and Hermione shook her head.  
  
"So dramatic you are," she said, from behind yet another book.  
  
"Bite me," Ron said through a mouthful of waffles, syrup sliding down his chin.  
  
"We don't want your rabies," Hermione said. "Or any other disease manifestations you may have acquired over the summer." Everyone laughed at that, including Ron.  
  
Their first day passed uneventfully. They had so many notes to copy in Transfiguration that Harry swore his hand was going to fall off. Then in Charms, Flitwick put them through a difficult charm, the Transparency Spell. Of course, Hermione mastered it first. Then they found out how horrible their new DADA teacher would be shortly after eating lunch. Professor Jones was young, but seemed a little nervous about being in the supposedly jinxed position. She made up for it by being extremely uptight and bitchy. Other than that, Harry had no problems until Potions that afternoon.  
  
They were given a relatively easy potion to prepare this time. For once, Harry had it perfect, but Snape decided to torture him anyway. He was examining everyone's progress and stopped at Harry's desk to look at his.  
  
"Well, well, well. It looks like our golden boy learned something over the holiday," he sneered. "He's actually brewed a potion correctly. I guess miracles do happen."  
  
Harry just stood there looking at the floor as the Slytherins laughed and the Gryffindors glared.  
  
"Tell us, Mr. Potter," Snape said maliciously. "Did you do some extra studying or have you somehow finally discovered how to use your brain and follow directions to brew this potion correctly? Because we all know how miserable your performance was last year. It's a wonder you got such a good mark on you Potions O.W.L."  
  
Harry kept his head down and didn't say anything.  
  
"Are you going to speak or are you going to continue looking like an absolute idiot?" Snape snapped. "Everyone, please return to your potions. There's no use in wasting your time waiting for the celebrity to open his mouth."  
  
Harry ladled some of his potion into a vial, his professor still standing there. He still wouldn't speak, nor would he look at Snape unless he had to.  
  
Snape began to wonder if Harry was okay. He took a step closer to Harry, who tensed.  
  
"Potter." It was said quietly so no one else would hear. Slowly, Harry looked up and into Snape's eyes.  
  
Neither said a word as they stared at each other. Snape studied Harry closely, noticing the lack of emotion or care in his eyes, 'Something's wrong,' he thought. 'Something's really wrong....he looks like me...once.' He shook his head and walked to his desk. Hermione leaned towards her friend.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
Harry shrugged carelessly. "I haven't got the slightest clue." Looking up again, he saw Snape was looking at him once more, briefly, before the bell rang seconds later.  
  
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Finally. I got off my lazy butt and changed this—again. 


	2. A Look Into The Past

Harry went to dinner with his classmates, ate a few bites and left without giving a reason. He spent the remainder of the evening in the dormitory instead of down in the common room so he could think about how strange their first day of class had been. What had been especially strange was the way Snape looked at him at the end of class, like he was trying to reach into Harry's mind and extract all the information he wanted.  
  
Harry sat on his bed and pulled his knees up to his chin. He began to think about everything that had happened to him during the summer, trying to find a reason for it all. He knew why Uncle Vernon had chosen that summer; it was because he wasn't able to go to Ron's. Ron hadn't even been home, as he'd gone to visit Charlie in Romania. Therefore, Uncle Vernon was able to do whatever he pleased, and didn't have to worry about anyone noticing or asking questions.  
  
He remembered one conversation he had with Aunt Petunia when he was seven. He'd asked her about what she'd thought when she found him on their doorstep when he was a year old.  
  
"What was I thinking? I'll tell you what I was thinking. I was thinking about how selfish your foolish parents were for having gone and killed themselves, leaving us with a child who was just as freakish as they come!" she'd shrieked at him, the blood running from her face in rage.  
  
For as long as he could remember, life had been nothing short of awful for him. Harry was despised by his relatives with the utmost passion. Even the neighbors hated him, after all the stories the Dursleys had given them. Harry was a klutz when he was nervous, and would never talk to anyone. He was constantly getting yelled at, even when it was his cousin who'd done something wrong. Somehow, he always managed to get in the way of the Dursleys, and when he did, he was beaten and pushed around.  
  
When Hagrid came to bring him to Hogwarts, he was the happiest he'd ever been up to that point. Even Snape and Malfoy couldn't deter him from enjoying life away from Dudley and his parents. So when he returned for the summer he wasn't surprised to be was starved and slaved like a dog that had been rolling in dirt.  
  
But even all of that didn't explain why Harry had to go through it every summer, or why he was the brunt of it all. It just made the list of bad memories longer than it should have been. He remembered crying at ten years old, begging his cousin to tell him why they were so mean to him, but all Dudley told him was that Harry deserved it and he would always be treated the way he was, until the day he died. Even now, when he was able to understood things better, he still couldn't figure them out. He would never ask Uncle Vernon or Dudley again why they were so cruel, because he knew he'd never get a decent answer in return.  
  
Harry yawned and looked at his clock. It was rather late, and he heard the other boys coming up the staircase. He knew he had to start pretending that things hadn't changed since the end of last term. He stood up and got changed into his pajamas before Dean, Neville, Seamus, and Ron walked in.  
  
"Hi, Harry," they all said at about the same time. The looks of surprise on their faces almost made Harry crack up.  
  
"Oh my god!" Ron said, and they all looked at him. "Harry smiled! I think I'm gonna die!"  
  
"Who's gonna bury you?" Harry teased. "And who's going to your funeral? Cuz I sure won't!"  
  
Neville and Seamus laughed as Ron threw a pillow at Harry. "Go to bed, you prat."  
  
"I'd planned on it long before you came in the room, you slimeball," Harry shot back with a grin. Ron paused for a moment, his shirt in his hands.  
  
"You must really have something wrong," he said slowly. "Especially if you're confusing me with that greasy shitheaded git we have for a Potions Master."  
  
"No, I thought you were more Malfoy-ish."  
  
Ron's mouth dropped open as the others laughed.  
  
"Wow, Ron. Shoulda told us you were a Slytherin," Dean said, still laughing.  
  
"Yeah, so we could put you through HELL!!!!" Seamus added, retrieving Ron's pillow from the floor.  
  
"Like you don't as it is."  
  
"Goodnight everybody," Harry said, climbing into bed.  
  
"'Night, Harry."  
  
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	3. Confusions And Revelations

Many thanks to all who reviewed! I really appreciate it, and I'll try to answer them as soon as I can.  
  
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After that first Potions class, Harry spent much of the following days trying to figure out why Snape had been studying him so closely. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much he analyzed Snape's actions in class, he couldn't come up with any reason for his strange behavior. No one else, apart from Hermione, had seen this exchange of looks, so no questions were asked. Classes were so demanding that they hardly had room to think, let alone bother Harry. Which was just how he liked it.  
  
He used his demanding classes as an excuse to stay away from everyone, and rarely spoke to Ron and Hermione. He did try to spend some time with them f he could, to avoid uncomfortable questions. He knew Hermione was starting to get suspicious, though, and he dreaded the moment when she would ask him about it.  
  
When the sixth years finally got a moment to relax, it was halfway through October. The leaves on the trees were turning all sorts of magnificent colors, but you wouldn't care unless Neville was driving you to drink.  
  
"....And the pigments in the cells of the leaves are what actually creates the color that we see—"  
  
"Neville!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed together. "Enough already!"  
  
"He's right though," Ron said in Neville's defense, as his face began to fall.  
  
"Oh, Neville," Harry said. "We all know how much you love Herbology, but even though leaf pigments are interesting, could you explain them to the many fortunate children who have not had to suffer through biology?"  
  
Neville started to grin. "Thanks, Harry. I guess I was going a little overboard."  
  
"Ease up next time, okay?"  
  
"No problem." Neville walked away from them. Ron, Hermione, and Harry walked a little ways before Hermione turned to Harry.  
  
"So, Harry," Hermione began slowly.  
  
"Yes, Hermione?" He had a bad feeling about what she was going to say, and he wasn't sure he was ready to answer her...yet.  
  
"Why have you been so reclusive lately?" She faced him, as though forcing him to tell her. They stopped walking.  
  
"Reclusive?" He laughed. "I haven't done any such thing, you must be—"  
  
"Harry," she said warningly. "Tell me the truth."  
  
Ron looked confused. "Is there something that I'm missing here?"  
  
"Of course, Ron," Hermione said. "Haven't you noticed that Harry's not around as much as usual? And since when did you get so interested in your schoolwork?"  
  
He looked at her.  
  
"Look, if there was anything, truth or no truth, I would tell you. I think you of all people should know that about me by now. And I happen to like schoolwork." And with that, he walked away from his friends, who stared after him in confusion. Little did he know that a certain professor was watching his every movement.  
  
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Severus was standing off to one side in the courtyard, watching the scene carefully. He could tell that Neville was driving the Harry and his friends up the wall. Something about the colors of tree leaves. 'If only that kid would use that brain of his in Potions,' Severus thought to himself.  
  
For a while, it looked as though Harry had returned to normal, but when Neville left and Hermione began questioning Harry, he could see the obvious tension increase in Harry's behavior, as though he was guarding himself. Although he brushed her questions aside with considerable ease, he seemed to not want to stay around, which was strange. He never saw Harry not want to be around his friends. And the swiftness of his pace as he walked off toward the lake clearly showed that he didn't want to be bothered. Something had happened, something significant, and it wasn't good, whatever it was. Severus thought about telling the Headmaster, but he wasn't sure he should. Finally, he decided to, and he walked back into the castle and proceeded to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Come in, Severus,"  
  
Severus sat in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk.  
  
"Lemon drop? Tea?"  
  
"No thanks." Severus waved his hand.  
  
"How can I help you, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, making his own cup of tea.  
  
"It's about Potter, Albus." Dumbledore turned and looked at his former student in shock.  
  
"What about Mr. Potter?" He asked as he sat down.  
  
"I'm starting to get worried about him." Severus said, and watched as the look on Albus' face increased its level of shock. "Yes, I know it seems strange that I would worry about him, but he's been acting sort of.....strange."  
  
"What do you mean by 'strange'?"  
  
Severus thought over his words carefully before replying. "I feel like I know what's going on, what the problem is, but I'm not sure. He won't talk to anyone, and when he does, his voice is like that of one who has no soul. He avoids everyone, won't go near anyone, and he won't eat."  
  
Dumbledore took a sip of tea, clearly in thought.  
  
"I had noticed a change in him, since he didn't sit with his friends on the first evening," he began slowly, "but I thought nothing of it. You are right though, Severus. It does seem familiar, but I don't know how. Or why."  
  
Severus stood up to leave. "I wanted you to know, before anyone else. I have to go so I can get some work done." Dumbledore nodded as he swept out of the office.  
  
Severus began to keep a closer eye on Harry as the days went on. After a week and a half, he noticed how oddly familiar Harry's behavior was, but he couldn't place a reason for the familiarity. Not until the Halloween Feast.  
  
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It was loud as usual, with a little more chaos than there had been in previous years. Harry was sitting at his place away from the rest of the students at their House table. He didn't really seem to be eating much; he was more or less playing with his food during the entire meal.  
  
When everyone had finished eating, some of the younger students began fooling around. A group of third years were very much into their playing, so much so that none of them seemed to realize how dangerously close they were to hitting someone. Like Harry.  
  
They got so careless that one of them was shoved into Harry from behind. The sudden physical contact made him freeze and tense up, waiting for the expected blow. When it didn't come, he stood up so quickly that his chair fell over. The sound reverberated throughout the Hall, and everyone stopped and watched as Harry fled from the room.  
  
Up at the staff table, Severus and Albus exchanged a look before they too, stood up.  
  
"Remain inside," Albus commanded, and then he and Severus ran outside after Harry.  
  
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Harry ran with every last ounce of energy he had until he reached an old fallen tree trunk near the forest. He collapsed onto it, trying to regain his breath. He became so lost in his own fear to notice anyone coming after him until they were standing right in front of him.  
  
Looking up in surprise, he saw it was just the Headmaster and Snape. He got up to go, but the Headmaster's hand grasped his shoulder. This made Harry's panic more than double in intensity.  
  
"No, don't!" he moaned, pushing the hand away from him.  
  
Hearing the absolute fear in Harry's voice, the Headmaster recoiled as if he were burned. He looked at Severus, who was staring at Harry as though reliving a horrible memory.  
  
"Harry," he began gently, but Harry shook his head and cut him off.  
  
"No. Please, just go away and leave me alone."  
  
The Headmaster was silent for a moment, as he and Severus glanced at each other for a moment.  
  
"Alright, Harry. But please, let me know if you need anything." He headed back towards the castle.  
  
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The Headmaster walked away, leaving Severus standing there, feeling slightly disturbed. He'd watched Harry the entire time, saw how Harry kept his eyes to the ground and tried to become smaller than he was. Severus thought he knew the cause for the odd behavior, but he wanted to make sure before he did anything about it. Before he could find a way to ask, his thoughts were broken by a small voice.  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Yes, Potter?"  
  
"Why are you still here?" Good question, Potter. Five points to Gryffindor for making your teacher think. What was he still standing there for?  
  
"I don't know Potter," he said sarcastically. "Why don't you tell me?" At this, he received a rather nasty look. 'At least he actually made eye contact. It's a start.' He sighed.  
  
"To answer your question, Potter, I was going to ask if you wanted me to help you."  
  
The look he got was not unexpected.  
  
"You? Help me?" Harry laughed. "Yeah, right. That's really funny."  
  
"I wasn't joking, I'm serious."  
  
Harry looked at him seriously.  
  
"I don't think so." With that, he turned and began walking back to the school.  
  
Severus began walking as well, without his usual quick stride. He was thinking about everything that was said. He understood completely why his offer had been rejected, but for some reason, it still hurt. He knew firsthand how it felt to be worthless. Knowing that nothing and no one can help or end the suffering.  
  
Somehow, he had to find out exactly what the kid had gone through to cause such a drastic change.  
  
He wondered when he had become so worried about the boy. For some reason, everything he did greatly affected the professor. It was a strange feeling, but he always pushed it aside to be dealt with later on. Like after he finished grading, and if he was lucky, a decent night's sleep.  
  
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Another chapter done, and my brain is fried. Reviews are welcome! 


	4. Leximor Morirtis

Sorry to keep you all waiting, I've been busy with school, and it's been a little too cold for me to get online and update. But here it is, so, enjoy.  
  
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While Severus was lost in his own thoughts, Harry was sitting in a dark corridor in the dungeons, alone. He still couldn't understand why Snape was so eager to "help" him. It wasn't as though he needed it, nor did he want it. Least of all from the one person who'd done nothing but torment him for the last five years.  
  
But that didn't explain why Snape had looked so...odd when they were outside. It was as though he was familiar with Harry's situation, but...Harry shook his head and looked at his watch. It was getting late, and he knew he had to get upstairs before he got into trouble. Standing up, he began heading down the hall to the stairs. It was so dark that he had to feel his way along by tracing his hand along the walls. Halfway down the corridor, he ran into something and jumped back, tense.  
  
"Potter?" It was Snape, apparently unsure of whether or not it was him. Harry kept quiet, hoping he would just walk away.  
  
"It's no use keeping your mouth closed," Snape said. "I can see the reflection of the torches off your glasses."  
  
"S-sorry, s-sir," Harry began, stuttering. "I-I didn't mean to run into you. I-I couldn't see."  
  
Snape gave him a calculating look. He suddenly knew why Harry was so familiar, but he had to make sure...  
  
"What is the matter, Potter? Why are you stuttering?"  
  
Harry looked at the floor before answering. "I-I don't know, s-sir."  
  
Snape sighed. It wasn't going to be as easy as he thought, getting the boy to talk.  
  
"See me after class tomorrow afternoon, Potter," he said as he walked off.  
  
"O-okay." Harry fled up the stairs to the common room as fast as he could. Unfortunately, he was immediately bombarded by Hermione and Ron.  
  
"Where have you been?" Hermione exclaimed, jumping out of her chair. "Why did you run out of the feast like that? What happened?"  
  
"Why did Snape go after you with Dumbledore?" Ron added, worry all over his face. "What did he do to you?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Nothing—"  
  
"Don't give us 'nothing', Harry!" Hermione said. "You're going to tell us right now, what the hell was that whole thing about?"  
  
"Geez, Hermione, it was nothing, okay?" Everyone in the common room was looking at them now.  
  
"Don't lie to us Harry."  
  
"Come on, Harry," Ron said desperately. "Please?"  
  
He lost his temper. "Look, nothing happened! I'm okay! Just leave me alone and stop asking me all these questions!" He began to get hysterical. "There is nothing wrong with me!"  
  
Hermione put her hand on his arm. "Harry, please—"  
  
Harry jerked his arm away from her and backed away. "Don't touch me!" He shrieked. She stepped towards him. "Harry—"  
  
"NO!" He turned and ran out of the common room, down to the Hall and threw himself into a seat. He put his head on his arms and cried until he fell asleep.  
  
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His cousin's voice was getting louder and closer..."You'll be getting it this time, freak!"...Uncle Vernon in front of him, screaming..."Good for nothing, worthless piece of shit! You shouldn't have lived! You should have died! You don't deserve our care!"  
  
Harry started to run to the stairs. He managed to get on the seventh step, before Dudley pulled him down from behind and onto the floor. Harry tried to get up, but Dudley sat on him.  
  
"Can't get up, can you?" Dudley laughed, before punching Harry in the nose. He got off Harry, who immediately stood up. Before he could take a step, he was picked up and thrown against the banister. His Uncle's face loomed in front of him.  
  
"Enjoy this while it lasts!"  
  
He picked Harry up by his collar and banged Harry's head repeatedly against the railing until he passed out.  
  
He woke up in a cold, dark, wet room. Water was dripping from the opposite corner of the ceiling. The only glimpse of light came from a dying torch by the heavy wooden door.  
  
He could hear footsteps on the outside, but he couldn't move. The door opened, and a small group of people entered.  
  
"Hello Mr. Potter," hissed Voldemort. "We've come to give you a present."  
  
"A small dose of our appreciation, Potter." It was Lucius Malfoy's voice, and he who came towards Harry. They all raised their wands at once.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
His last memory was the laughter.  
  
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He sat away from everyone in his classes, working by himself. He was the first to arrive and leave, and he didn't even bother to eat. He stopped sleeping at night, as the nightmares just kept coming. He didn't even show up at Snape's after class. When Snape saw him in Potions the following day, he didn't say anything to Harry. He just shook his head.  
  
Harry didn't care about it. He was getting sick of everyone asking him why he was acting so strangely. The incident in the common room had spread to the Slytherins, and of course, Malfoy wasted no time in torturing Harry about it.  
  
Malfoy was walking behind Harry, who was holding some vials for his potion. He reached over Harry and grabbed a few of his own, knocking his arm into Harry as Harry turned to head back to his cauldron. Harry jumped and dropped the vials. They smashed to the floor into a million glass shards.  
  
"Oops," Malfoy smirked. "I'm sorry, Potter, didn't mean to bump into you. I forgot that you don't like to be touched." The Slytherins laughed loudly. Harry turned around and grabbed more vials, silently cursing Malfoy.  
  
"Evanesco," Snape said, with a flick of his wand. "And ten points from Gryffindor."  
  
Harry glared at him as he walked back to his desk. The class settled down to its normal noise level. Snape walked over to Harry's desk and sat across from him.  
  
"What do you want?" Harry asked, not caring if he got into trouble or not.  
  
"Potter, look at me." Snape said quietly, so no one else could hear. Harry looked up at him, surprised that more points weren't taken from his House.  
  
"Why didn't you come down after class yesterday?"  
  
"Because I didn't want to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Since when do you care?" Harry hissed at him.  
  
"Does it matter when I started caring?" Snape hissed back. "For your information, I am not exactly the cold-hearted bastard you all seem to think. There is a human being under this."  
  
"Sure there is. You're real good at showing it, aren't you?" The bell rang, and the class began filing out of the room. Harry gathered his things together, marking his vial before sweeping past Snape and placing it on the professor's desk. Noticing that he was the only one left in the room, he quickened his movements to get out.  
  
"Potter."  
  
"Yes?" He looked at his professor, who was examining his potion.  
  
"I have noticed that you have made a remarkable effort to improve, surpassing those of even Ms. Granger. You've advanced so much that I am going to ask you if you would like to speed up this course so that you can get out of it before the others do."  
  
Harry thought about this for a moment. He had been putting extra work into his potions. He actually enjoyed making them; in fact he'd been trying out a few concoctions while he was home alone over the summer, being very cautious as to not blow anything significant up.  
  
"Sure," he finally said.  
  
"Alright," the man sighed. "You are allowed to come down here whenever you have the time outside of your classes to work on your potions. Just make sure you talk to me before you make any serious advancement."  
  
"Okay. Thank you, sir," Harry said as he walked out, leaving Snape standing against his desk, deep in thought.  
  
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Severus watched as Harry left, still thinking about what he had just offered. He knew what the boy was capable of doing, and he had a feeling he'd been practicing without permission, or at least without anyone's knowledge. Severus knew that his offer was another step closer to getting to what Harry was hiding from everyone. He would just have to sit back and wait, patiently.  
  
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For a few days, Harry considered taking Snape up on his offer to come down after classes. He still wasn't sleeping, and when he did nod off, he forced himself to wake up before he could start dreaming. He was getting increasingly agitated at everyone for bothering him all the time. His last straw came during Transfiguration a week before Thanksgiving.  
  
"Mr. Potter, come to my desk," came Professor McGonagall's voice from the front of the room. Harry sighed, got up, and walked up to her desk.  
  
"Yes, Professor?"  
  
"Could you explain why you've been so reluctant to participate in your classes, or even talk to your peers?" She looked at him sternly over her glasses.  
  
"There really is no reason, Professor." Harry said, as convincingly as he could. "I've just been spending more time working on my schoolwork."  
  
McGonagall studied him closely.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine."  
  
"You're positive?"  
  
"Yes!" Harry said, exasperated. "Why is everyone so concerned about my health? How many times do I have to say I'm okay before anyone cleans their ears out to hear me?" He turned, ran to his desk and picked up his things before leaving the class in shocked silence.  
  
He ran down the stairs and through the halls to the dark dungeons. He didn't care where he ended up, as long as no one could find him. He walked into the darkest room and set his things on a desk, leaning over it, trying to catch his breath.  
  
He was exhausted, literally. All he wanted to do was sleep; he couldn't take it anymore, the staying up all night and all day, the nightmares, Voldemort's voice in his head, his uncle's face in his mind, the pain. But he wanted to sleep so badly.  
  
He sat in the chair, put his head down, and was asleep in moments.  
  
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He opened his eyes, and Avery was standing over him.  
  
"Get up, Potter!" He yanked Harry out of his chair and into the center of a circle of Death Eaters.  
  
"You have seven rounds with him." Voldemort said. "Do whatever you want."  
  
The curses started out mildly, but after a while, Harry found himself on the floor, panting.  
  
"Tired, Potter? I can help you. In fact, I have a surprise for you."  
  
He came into the circle and addressed two of those standing.  
  
"Remove your masks."  
  
It was Uncle Vernon and Dudley, both smirking evilly.  
  
Harry passed out.  
  
"Time to leave this world, Potter."  
  
Harry looked around, but he couldn't locate the owner of the voice.  
  
"You don't want to live any longer, do you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why don't you kill yourself? You know you want to. And besides, Snape's letting you have access to his dungeons. Just find one of his potions and drink it."  
  
Harry thought about it in his mind. The voice was right, he did have access, so why not?  
  
"Do it."  
  
He woke up, slowly. His body felt achy, like he'd gotten ran over by a train. Looking around the room, he realized he was in the Potions dungeon.  
  
'Oh, good. Maybe Snape has something lethal in his office.'  
  
He got up and walked into the office, which was as empty and dark as the classroom. Searching through the cupboard, he found just what he was looking for.  
  
Leximor Morirtis.  
  
Mix with a pinch of Acadia leave before consumption.  
  
Harry knew there were Acadia leaves in the student cupboard, so he brought the vial out into the classroom. He grabbed a jar of the leaves out of the cupboard and brought it over to the counter. He added a pinch of Acadia to the vial, and stirred it with a metal rod. He raised the vial to check the color before bringing it towards his mouth.  
  
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Let me know how it is, please. Your reviews are a great help to me. 


	5. Sharing Pain

Severus had just come into the castle not too long before, and he was walking towards his rooms when he heard movement in the dungeons. The closer he got, the more nervous he became, because there were no torches lit. He could hear the familiar hissing of something being added to a potion, and the stirring of the liquid.  
  
So when he walked into the room and saw Harry and the vial he was about to consume, he panicked.  
  
Oh my God! he thought, It's the Leximor Morirtis Potion I made twenty years ago!  
  
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"HARRY POTTER!!!"  
  
Harry jumped and the vial slipped from his hand. It crashed to his feet into a million pieces, the potion spilling out onto the marble floor. He spun around to see both a shocked and slightly enraged Severus Snape standing three feet behind him.  
  
"What in the name of HELL do you think you're doing?" Snape shouted, the panic clearly lining his voice.  
  
"N-nothing, sir," Harry said, trembling.  
  
"No! Don't give me that bullshit!" Harry cringed away from Snape, backing up towards the door. Snape's hand reached out and grabbed Harry's wrist before he could get far. This was a big mistake.  
  
"NO! LET ME GO!" Harry screamed, his eyes widening in fear as his body tensed.  
  
Terror gripped the edges of Harry's senses. He twisted his arm around in an effort to get out of Snape's grasp, but succeed only in causing himself pain.  
  
"Potter?" Came Snape's tentative voice. He loosened his grip slightly, enough to keep Harry from getting out.  
  
"Let me go," Harry whined. "Please, just let me go."  
  
"I can't do that," Snape whispered.  
  
"Don't hit me," Harry moaned. "Please, Uncle Vernon, don't, please!"  
  
Suddenly, comprehension dawned on Snape. The pieces fell into place, and he completely understood Harry's behavior.  
  
He kneeled in front of Harry, holding both hands.  
  
"Harry, look at me."  
  
"No, please-"  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."  
  
Harry had never heard those words before, so he opened his eyes. He looked into Snape's eyes, and was surprised at what he saw. There was no hatred, no coldness. Instead, they were filled with pain, fear, and understanding.  
  
"Trust me, Harry," Snape said softly, his eyes pleading to him. "Please trust me."  
  
Harry fell to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. He felt Snape's arms wrap around him and pull him closer. He flinched, and started to shake again.  
  
"Shh, Harry, relax. It's okay, you're safe here."  
  
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Severus gathered Harry closer to his body. He could feel the tremors pass through Harry as his muscles tightened in fear.  
  
"Shh, Harry, relax. It's okay, you're safe here." He whispered in the boy's ear and began to rock him slightly.  
  
Harry's cries subsided after a while, and he looked up at Severus.  
  
"Why are you trying to help me?"  
  
"Because I know what you're going through," Severus replied, looking down at him. "I wish I knew before, I would have never put you through what I did." He shook his head sadly.  
  
"How do you know what it's like?" Harry asked. "I thought I was the only one."  
  
"No, Harry, you're not the only one. I thought I was the only one, just like you."  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, sitting up and looking at his Potions Master. "What happened to you?"  
  
Severus didn't want to think about what had happened, let alone tell Harry about it, but he knew he had to, or Harry'd never let Severus help him. He looked at the floor as he talked.  
  
"It was my father who did it to me," he said quietly. "I wasn't anything he wanted me to be, so he made my life a living hell far beyond words." He hesitated, raising his head to look at Harry, whose face was one of understanding and mixed curiosity.  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
Severus laughed humorlessly. "What didn't he do? That bastard did everything he could to give me pain. He threw my mother out when I was six, after years of them fighting. She told me she would be back soon, and I haven't seen her since. She was the one who wanted me to be happy, who comforted me after he was through beating me, and he threw her out." He shook his head. "He's done more things than you can think of. Of course, nothing grand occurred until I came here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He was the Potions Master at the time."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Is he why you're the-"  
  
"No, Harry," Severus said. "He pushed me into it, but I liked Potions. I invented the Leximor Morirtis Potion that you were going to drink. I made it so that if he ever got hold of me again and didn't kill me, I'd do it myself."  
  
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Harry was shocked, but he didn't show it. Snape?  
  
"Why do you keep it in your office down here?"  
  
Snape smiled slightly.  
  
"Because it would make sense to have it here. If he came back and found it in my rooms, he'd get suspicious. Here, I can say I use it as an example for the students."  
  
"Oh," Harry thought for a moment. It all made sense to him. "Professor Sn-"  
  
"Severus."  
  
"Huh?" Harry frowned.  
  
"Call me by my name, Harry," he looked Harry in the eye as he said this. "Please?"  
  
"Okay," Harry said slowly. "Um. Severus?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why did you become a Death Eater?"  
  
Severus looked at him curiously. "Why did I become a Death Eater?" he repeated. Harry nodded.  
  
"My wonderful father told me that if I didn't, he'd kill me on the spot, in front of everyone. And it would be extremely painful, not to mention embarrassing."  
  
The bell rang for dinner. Severus glanced over at Harry. "You going to eat some time in this lifetime?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "I'm not hungry."  
  
"Liar." Harry gave him a dirty look.  
  
"How would you know? You're not me."  
  
"Good point." Severus sighed as he stood up. "But I was there once, remember?" He held out his hand. Harry just looked at him.  
  
"I'm here to help you, Harry, not hurt you," Severus said reassuringly. "Just eat a little, please?"  
  
Harry grabbed Severus' hand and pulled himself up. "Fine."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
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I know it's a bit short, but I wanted to get two out in one day. I'm going to try to get these out faster, one a week maybe. I have to work around my Regents' and all the homework you get in eleventh grade. Please review! 


	6. Potions and Kisses

I noticed an error in the last chapter, so I went and fixed it. Aside from that there were no other changes, so I kept going with the story. Many thanks to all who reviewed!  
  
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Severus sat in his office, marking essays from the second year Gryffindor- Slytherin class. Neither he nor Harry had spoken much since the Leximor Morirtis potion incident. He did keep a closer eye on Harry and didn't single him out as much during classes. He noticed how much time he'd spent worrying about the boy and thought he was going crazy.  
  
All this time thinking about Harry, he thought to himself. What am I, falling in love with him?  
  
This thought shocked him, and he realized that he was, in fact, starting to have feelings for Harry.  
  
God help me.  
  
Speaking of Harry, Severus had that class next. He leaned back in his chair, flipping through his grade book. It was time to start the next unit, Altering Potions. He wrote down the instructions and ingredients of the first potion on the board, finishing just as the bell rang.  
  
Good, he thought, Let's see just how well these brats can do it. He smirked as he walked over to the door, opened it, and returned to his desk.  
  
The class drifted in, some in groups, others on their own. Harry was the last to arrive before the final bell rang, leaving Weasley, Thomas, and Longbottom running late.  
  
"Five points from Gryffindor each for your tardiness," Severus said, enjoying the angry looks on Weasley's and Thomas' faces and fear on Longbottom's. Weasley sat down next to Harry, who muttered something to him.  
  
"We're due to continue on to a new subject," Severus began, looking at them all. "From now until Christmas break, we will be doing Altering Potions. I hope that the last four years of this class have enabled you to at least make an effort to make these potions properly, and without the usual idiocy that is displayed."  
  
"Today's potion is called the Invisibility Potion. I should think that you can figure out what it does by the name." He gestured at the board. "Instructions are on the board. Begin."  
  
Let the games begin.  
  
He watched as they got their supplies together and set out to brew the potion. He had a feeling something was going to happen, something bad. And he had a feeling it would involve Harry.  
  
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Harry concentrated on his cauldron, following all the instructions as perfectly as possible. He noticed that the use of Acadia leaves was necessary, which made him smile slightly. He hadn't talked to the Potions Professor all week, and he really had no reason to, at least, not yet.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
Harry looked over at Ron, who was having some problems with his potion. It was supposed to be bright green, but Ron's was red and smoking profusely. Looking up, Harry saw Severus walking near them, examining the other's work. Severus turned his head, catching Harry's eye. Harry cringed slightly, nodding his head in Ron's direction. Severus smiled a little, turning back to Seamus' cauldron.  
  
Ron's potion began to smell like burning plastic, making it hard for Harry to concentrate.  
  
"Sir?" It was Malfoy, who had his nose crinkled. Severus turned toward him.  
  
"Yes, Draco?"  
  
"What's that horrible smell?" Ron's face and ears turned a deep shade of red.  
  
"It's a smell similar to that of burning plastic." Harry said. "Except that in this case, there's no plastic to burn, so it is nothing more than someone who has added too much Acadia to their potion."  
  
The class was staring at him in shock and silence, including Severus. Draco was the first to break it.  
  
"I'm sorry, Potter, but I don't remember asking you, of all people," he said with contempt. And last I checked, you are not the Potions Master."  
  
The Slytherins laughed loudly.  
  
"Excuse me for answering a very simple question, Malfoy," Harry shot back. Malfoy glared at him.  
  
"That's it, Potter," he spat.  
  
The next thing he knew, something red and scorching hot seared past him. A second later, Ron's shrieking voice was heard.  
  
KER-BOOM!!!  
  
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Severus was standing in shock that Harry had actually answered a question about potions, least of all correctly. He was still in shock when Malfoy snapped and tried to hex Harry. Unfortunately, the spell hit Ron, who was thrown back into the wall. The spell rebounded off him and hit his cauldron, which promptly exploded.  
  
KER-BOOM!!!  
  
Everyone screamed as the scalding contents of the potion hit them triggering the explosions of the other cauldrons. In seconds, the room was filled with smoke, screaming students, and spraying liquid.  
  
The fact that he was standing in the middle of the dungeon wasn't helping him any and he was completely soaked in various amounts of half-brewed Invisibility Potions. Not to mention that he had burns on various places of his body from the explosions. He snapped his fingers and the room cleared of smoke, and he took account of the damage.  
  
Some of the students hadn't been doused, as they had backed away from their cauldrons. Others were slightly less fortunate, but no one was in worse shape than Harry, who had been next to the initial explosion and his own, nearly complete potion had been the second to blow up. Upon seeing this, Malfoy and his cronies began to laugh.  
  
"Be quiet!" Severus hissed, and the laughing receded. "I'm sorry to inform you that all of your cauldrons are completely destroyed and you'll be buying new ones. Those of you who are more than slightly sprayed, report to the Hospital Wing. The rest of you, take your things and leave now."  
  
The class left quickly, but not without Malfoy smirking at Harry on his way out. Finally, he was the only student left in the room, and Severus closed the door.  
  
"Come with me," he said, waving at Harry. He led them through his office, out the door, and down the hall.  
  
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Harry followed without saying a word, knowing Severus was pissed beyond hell. He felt sorry for the man, since he was in just as bad shape as he himself. After they made a few turns, he noticed the halls were darker here, and he couldn't suppress his curiosity.  
  
"Where are we going?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"Somewhere we can get both of us cleaned up, before we start eroding to death."  
  
That idea made Harry shiver, as he imagined feeling as though being eaten by rats. He shivered again, and didn't ask any more questions.  
  
They went into a room, lit with blue flames by the walls. As soon as they walked in, it was like entering a rainstorm. Water poured over them, washing away the remains of the potion from their bodies. Both were still badly burned, and Severus went to the back of the room and drew some vials from the cabinet.  
  
"Come here, Harry," he called. Harry walked over to him, and Severus held out one of the vials. "Drink this. All of it."  
  
Expecting it to taste as horrible as the rest of the potions he'd drunk, Harry threw it back and swallowed it as fast as he could. Then the after- taste hit him. It was sweet, like strawberries, and he regretted taking it so fast.  
  
"Damn." He muttered. "Shouldn't've done it like that."  
  
Severus smirked as he drank his, enjoying the taste. He took Harry's vial and rinsed it out along with his.  
  
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Severus finished rinsing the vials, dried them and put them away.  
  
"How do you feel?" he asked.  
  
"Shitty."  
  
Severus' eyebrows went up. Harry cursed himself silently.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Severus turned around so quickly that Harry flinched. "For what?" He demanded.  
  
"F-for s-swearing." Harry stuttered, backing into the counter.  
  
"Don't be sorry," Severus snapped.  
  
Harry hung his head.  
  
Severus' hand touched his chin. "Harry?"  
  
He jerked his head away from Severus' fingers, but they pulled his head up so Severus could see his eyes. They had tears in them, and Severus immediately wished he hadn't been so harsh.  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't mean to make you upset."  
  
"It's not your fault," Harry sniffed as the tears slid down his face, mixing with the still falling water. "I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't right."  
  
"Nonsense, Harry."  
  
"No, seriously. It wasn't." Harry raised his hand to wipe his eyes from under his glasses, and Severus caught it on the way down, closing the distance between them.  
  
"It's okay," he said, trying to comfort Harry.  
  
"No, it's not." Harry looked down at the floor again. Severus shook his head and leaned in towards Harry's ear.  
  
"If you don't stop trying to correct me," he whispered, "I'm really going to make you regret swearing. Am I understood?"  
  
Harry turned his head to look up at him and Severus pulled his chin up. Their faces were mere inches away from each other, and Severus could hear Harry's breathing increase as he nodded. When Severus responded, their lips touched.  
  
"Good. Then shut up." With that, he kissed Harry. Harry's body tensed and he froze. After some encouraging yet unsure kisses, he returned it. It was gentle at first, and gradually became more passionate. When they finally pulled away from each other, Severus looked at Harry nervously.  
  
He watched as a drop of water slid down Harry's nose and hung from the edge, making him sneeze. Twice. Severus burst out laughing, and Harry gave him a look, before smiling.  
  
"Dare I ask what the hell you did that for?" Harry asked, still smiling.  
  
"I don't know, really," Severus responded. "You were upset, and I.I felt the urge to.um.uh."  
  
Harry grinned evilly. "Severus Snape, Potions Master of this school, famous for making everyone and anyone want to run and cry to their mothers in fear, at a loss for words? I guess miracles do happen."  
  
"How much do you value your life, Harry Potter?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Not enough."  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"Oh shut up, you grouchy old bat."  
  
Severus looked at him. "Grouchy, old bat?"  
  
Harry wrapped his arms around Severus' neck.  
  
"Yes," he said softly, "grouchy, old bat."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Mm-hm," and Harry kissed him softly. "But you love it."  
  
"You are so dead." Severus growled at him.  
  
"Then what am I doing, standing here in front of you?"  
  
"How the hell would I know?" Severus exclaimed. He looked Harry over. The burns had vanished. "How are you feeling now?"  
  
Harry pulled away from him. "Soaking wet, but otherwise a hell of a lot better. You?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
They started to head back to the main dungeons. When they reached Severus' office, they stopped.  
  
"Go on up and dry yourself off, alright?" Severus said to Harry. "I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"'Kay. Adios," Harry said, walking towards the Hall.  
  
"You too."  
  
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	7. Enough is Enough

A/N: One of my reviewers pointed out that there is no Thanksgiving in Britain. I have to say thank you, and explain that when you live in America, you forget that things are different somewhere else. I guess I always thought there would be Thanksgiving in Britain, but there really is no need for one. All the same, thanks to everyone who reviewed!  
  
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Harry slowly made his way up to Gryffindor Tower. He knew everyone else was likely to be on their way to dinner shortly, so he had to hurry. Once he got into the dormitory, he grabbed a towel and a change of clothes. He decided he didn't really want to wear his robes, especially since it was the end of the week. Instead, he put on the only Muggle clothing that fit him properly, a pair of blue jeans and an orange and blue shirt he got from his old Muggle school. After drying his hair, he went downstairs to join everyone else for dinner.  
  
He realized his mistake in attire when he walked into the Hall. When the students saw him, they ceased all talking and stared for a few moments. Harry stood in the doorway for a moment, until he felt the presence of someone behind him.  
  
"Mr. Potter."  
  
He felt the blood leave his face as he heard the deadly silky voice of the Potions Master behind him. He turned slowly to face his teacher, who raised both eyebrows as he took in Harry's outfit.  
  
"I guess I'm not the only fan of particular teams who wear orange and blue, Albus." Severus said, and Dumbledore smiled. "And may I also add that I'm not the only one who decided not to wear robes but Muggle attire instead?" He grinned slightly at Harry, who was feeling a little nervous, and motioned for him to sit.  
  
"Hey, mate," Ron greeted him as he sat down. "What's with the orange and blue?"  
  
"I can't help it," Harry answered. "I liked the colors of my school and when they were giving the shits away, I grabbed one."  
  
Conversations began to fill the Hall as the meal proceeded. Harry looked up at the Table and caught Severus' eye. He made it clear that he was actually eating this time, and Severus smiled slightly.  
  
"I gather that you're alright after that accident in Potions, Harry?" Hermione said through mashed potatoes.  
  
"Yes, Mione."  
  
"You want to play chess when we get back to the common room?" Ron asked, sounding eager. "Hermione isn't all that great, and she doesn't want to play as much."  
  
"No thanks, Ron." Harry said, looking at his barely eaten food. "I've got Potions homework, plus that essay for McGonagall."  
  
"There is no homework for Potions, Harry," said Hermione so sharply that both the Hufflepuffs and the other Gryffindors stopped eating and talking to look at them. "And we already handed in that essay."  
  
"I didn't."  
  
"Yes, you did, because I gave it to her." She said, exasperated. "Come on, Harry. Why have you been so reclusive lately?"  
  
"Yeah, how come you don't hang out with us anymore?" Ron added loudly. "You're always hanging around with Snape."  
  
"What's up with that? I thought you hated him." Hermione said, before Ron cut her off.  
  
"And what are those nightmares about that you've been having? You've been having some strange and painful sounding ones since the term began."  
  
By now, the entire Hall's attention was once again on Harry. He continued to stare at his plate, toying with his food and not answering.  
  
"And why don't you eat that much anymore?" Hermione asked. "Don't tell us you have, because I know the truth."  
  
Harry raised his head and locked eyes with Severus, who had a strange look on his face. He shook his head in frustration.  
  
"You haven't been down here to do more than play with your food, run back upstairs and lock yourself in the dorm. What are you trying to do, Harry? Kill yourself?"  
  
He'd had enough by this point. His fork clattered on the table.  
  
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Severus could tell beforehand that things weren't going too well in paradise over at the Gryffindor table, just by the look on Harry's face. But he didn't expect things to go as out of control as they did.  
  
He could tell Harry'd had it. The sound of a fork clattering echoed throughout the Hall.  
  
"Maybe," He began in a low, deadly voice, "I'm not hungry. Maybe, I don't feel like being around people. Especially not people who keep pestering me with questions."  
  
"Well, maybe, if you'd act normally instead of like a complete stranger, we wouldn't pester you with questions." Hermione responded acidly. Ron nodded. "And you shouldn't-" But Harry sent them both a look that would kill Malfoy on the spot if it could.  
  
"As for my nightmares, they're not important enough to share. And as far as my association with Snape, who the hell gives a damn?" Everyone gasped, including Severus. Harry's voice was so cold and characteristic of Severus that Ron and Hermione's faces paled drastically. "At least he isn't on my back day in and day out. He's the only one I know who doesn't consider me to be some arrogant, stuck up hero, or should I say, The-Boy-Who-Lived-To- Save-Our-Pathetic-Asses-From-Voldemort!" At the mention of Voldemort's name, everyone gasped again, but he really didn't care.  
  
"So why don't you stop worrying about me and leave me alone. I'm not a baby; I can take care of myself," he hissed. Then he got up and stalked to Severus' seat.  
  
"Can we talk?"  
  
Severus was still in shock, but he pulled himself together enough to nod and leave with Harry.  
  
Halfway through the dungeons, Severus stopped Harry. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine," Harry said. "Why?"  
  
"Because I think you shocked the hell out of everyone in that Hall," he responded as they continued walking.  
  
"I probably made a few enemies, come to thing of it," Harry said, his voice slowly losing the quality it had when he was telling off his friends. "But I'm glad I did it. Maybe now someone will listen to me."  
  
Severus grinned. "I don't know. I thought Albus's beard was going to drill a hole through the floor, and Minerva looked like she was having a coronary."  
  
Harry laughed as they entered Severus' office.  
  
"On a more serious note, I could've sworn I was looking in the mirror." He pointed out. "You sounded so much like me when I'm angry enough to kill, I was floored."  
  
"I could tell," Harry said, sounding like himself again. Severus wrapped his arms around Harry.  
  
"You're not upset about earlier, are you?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Why would I be?" Harry laughed. "Knowing me, I might have mentioned it during my fit of rage." He looked up at Severus, who turned his head so their eyes could meet.  
  
"I guess you're right, again," he said.  
  
"Good. Let it stay that way."  
  
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I have no idea how long that took, but it sure was tiring! I do hope that Harry's anger fit was satisfactory, along with the rest of the chappie. This story has become one of those spur of the moment ones that are hard to plan outside of the timeline I've created. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to see in the future. 


	8. Christmas and Snape

Sorry so long in posting. I was going to do it at school, but the district internet was down and I couldn't get past the front page of ff.net. So..here goes.  
  
Oh, yeah..I'm sorry it took me so long to answer your reviews, but here they are:  
  
Prophetess Of Hearts: Yes, Malfoy needs more than to just be knocked down, I think. Don't worry, he'll get his.  
  
Athenakitty: I don't think Draco will die, although sometimes it would be nice if he would.  
  
Lady Darkness13: It is kind of hard, but things are improving now, so I have more time to think about what to write and post it.  
  
xSnapeLoverx: I know Snape's OOC, I did want him to be. Mostly because the initial shock of seeing Harry with the potion he created to kill himself with. Once he sees that Harry has suicidal tendencies, like him, he would be rather shocked. No I don't think Snape would really say something like that, but he is human, and he wasn't himself, really.  
  
Falling-alone: I admit, the weedwacker thing was a bit..weird. I think I was in a really bad mood when I wrote that, I should go back and fix that soon. However, that took place on Harry's birthday, and if the scars were still there upon returning to school, he would have been able to charm them to disappear once he got on the train. He (in my imagination) wouldn't wear clothing that would expose his scars, with his attitude towards the one on his forehead.  
  
For everyone else that reviewed, thank you for your compliments and comments. Please, keep them up. Your reviews are what helps me with this story.  
  
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The weeks passed slowly as the holidays drew nearer. Surprisingly, no more cauldrons were destroyed in Potions. Severus was finally able to get all of the students' essays and paperwork done from October. This made him feel like he'd accomplished something, and he used his free time to torture the student body. He particularly enjoyed scaring the living daylights out of the younger years, especially the first years. He hadn't taken the time to terrify them yet, and he wanted to instill some level of fear in them before they thought of him as just a person who wouldn't bother anyone.  
  
He was walking down a corridor to the library when he heard voices just inside the door.  
  
".I thought Snape was supposed to be some sort of vindictive monster." It was a first year girl, Severus surmised by the tone of voice. He slid along the wall, as close to the door as he could get without them seeing.  
  
"Yeah, well, he hasn't done what the older kids told us he would," said the other girl. He could tell they were both in Hufflepuff; he remembered their voices vaguely. "I think they were just trying to scare us."  
  
Severus decided to say something.  
  
"Do you really?" He said softly.  
  
There was silence. "Did you hear something?" The first girl asked her friend.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You know what, forget it. Snape's not really as bad as they say he is." The first girl said resolutely.  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, girls," Severus said, louder this time. The girls peeked around the corner and gasped. He stepped away from the wall.  
  
"Why would the other students lie about me to you?" He asked softly. "After all, They've gone through their share of, shall we say, frightening times with me. Want to talk about me some more?"  
  
"Professor, we didn't know you were here." One of the girls said, as they backed into the wall across from him.  
  
"So that gives you the right to have conversations about someone in a place where they could possibly overhear you." Now they were pressed against the wall.  
  
"Yes, it does," Came a voice from behind Severus, who froze. "After all, it wouldn't be fun to talk behind your back if we thought you wouldn't hear, would it?"  
  
"Twenty points from Hufflepuff for talking about a teacher. Return to your dormitory." They stood there, looking slightly shocked. "NOW!"  
  
As the girls ran off, Severus heard laughter behind him. He turned around.  
  
"Mr. Potter."  
  
"Yes?" Harry grinned, acting as though he had no idea what just happened. Severus thought fast.  
  
"How would you like to know what it's like to die?"  
  
"Ooh, goody. Something I've wanted for as long as I can remember." Harry said, his smile fading. "When will I have the honor of being killed?"  
  
"You really think I'm going to tell you? No way." Harry backed down the hall.  
  
"Well," he said slowly, "If it's going to be you, you'll have to find me and catch me." He took off down the hall, Severus close behind him.  
  
**************************************************************************** *********************************************** Very little occurred in the days before Christmas. Ron and Hermione didn't say much to Harry in class, and he didn't say much to, well, anyone. In fact, he enjoyed having his own peace of mind, but it was getting harder to concentrate on his work with the lack of sleep. He thought he'd gotten to the point where he could go without sleep, but he found himself unable to keep his eyes open in class. His grades were slipping, he was sure, but he was afraid to go to sleep. Unfortunately, he couldn't help it.  
  
One day he fell asleep in Transfiguration, unknown to anyone in the room. They had been turning toads into swans, and he couldn't keep his head up. And of course, he couldn't sleep peacefully either.  
  
"Potter.." He opened his eyes, and found himself facedown on a cold, damp stone floor. He rolled over, and instantly regretted it. He hissed in pain, and looked down at himself. He was covered in his own blood, and it continued to pour out of a wound somewhere in his stomach. "How is it for you?" He looked up, and jerked back in fear, with another hiss of pain. Uncle Vernon held a knife and tweezers, and raised Harry's shirt. "Noooo."Harry moaned. "Please." "Please?" his uncle asked quietly. "Please continue?" Harry shook his head, immediately hit with a wave of dizziness that almost caused him to pass out. His uncle continued to pull up his shirt, exposing the wound. Harry watched in horror as Uncle Vernon opened the wound further and began tugging at the insides with the tweezers, tearing pieces out. He tried so hard not to scream, but when a particularly large piece was pulled out, he couldn't help it. He screamed.  
  
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"Severus!"  
  
Severus turned around and saw Professor McGonagall rushing towards him.  
  
"Minerva, I have a class-"  
  
"Severus, I don't care about your class. I need a potion for Potter." She said breathlessly. "He won't stop bleeding, even with Poppy's help."  
  
What little color existed in Severus' face vanished. "Class dismissed." He hurried to his office and started going through his various potions.  
  
"You may want to bring some that you use for those wretched meetings as well, Severus," McGonagall said, wringing her hands nervously.  
  
"What the hell happened?" Severus asked as they left his office.  
  
"I don't know, really. We were transforming toads into swans-don't roll your eyes Severus!-and he started screaming and twitching. When I got to him, I realized he was bleeding and it wouldn't stop. He's still asleep."  
  
"Oh, no," Severus muttered.  
  
They reached her classroom a few moments later, and Severus rushed over to Harry.  
  
"Please, take your things and leave," McGonagall said to her students. "We've got it under control now. Yes, you too, Weasley." She said when Ron hesitated. The class filed out of the room, leaving just Severus, McGonagall, and Madame Pomfrey. Harry was still twitching like crazy and refused to wake up.  
  
"Time for Plan B," Severus said to himself.  
  
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"Do you like it?" Uncle Vernon asked Harry, with a mad glint in his eye. "It gets better." Harry struggled to catch his breath as his uncle stopped with the wound. "Roll over!" His eyes widened as he realized what his uncle wanted to do to him. "No," he said, his voice hoarse. "No. I won't let you-" "You haven't got a choice. You're too weak!" His uncle laughed as he sliced the knife through Harry's clothes. "No! Please! Don't do this to me again! NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" He was pushed onto his stomach roughly. He felt as something was wrapped around him, tightly, as though never letting him go. He struggled harder, trying to get out. Suddenly, he was unable to move, and he screamed again.  
  
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He woke up, but wouldn't open his eyes. He realized that he was being held, and someone was whispering reassuring words in his ear. He tried to get out of the embrace, but when he wasn't able to, he went into a full panic.  
  
"No, please," he moaned. "Let me go, please."  
  
"I can't do that, Harry." The voice sounded so comforting and familiar, but he just wanted to get out.  
  
"Why? Please!" His voice was hysterical, and he was losing it. He knew that he would pass out in fear soon.  
  
"Because I love you."  
  
Harry froze. He'd never heard those words from anyone, at least, not to him. He felt the arms tighten around him, and he realized who the owner of the voice was.  
  
"Severus,"  
  
"Yes, Harry, it's me." He opened his eyes and saw the three of them standing around him.  
  
"Harry." He looked up at Severus. "Drink this, please." He opened his mouth and drank the contents of the vial obediently. It tasted horrible, but it made him feel so much better. Within moments, he ceased his trembling and relaxed against Severus.  
  
"Minerva, Poppy, I think I have this under control," Severus said, rocking Harry slightly.  
  
"Are you sure?" Poppy asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," he replied. Minerva nodded and left with the school nurse. Severus continued to rock Harry.  
  
"What in hell were you dreaming about?" He asked the boy quietly.  
  
"Do I have to talk about it right now?" Harry whined.  
  
"Could you tell me some of it?"  
  
Harry sighed and began his story.  
  
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Christmas morning arrived to a nearly vacant Hogwarts school. As usual, Harry was there, but Ron and Hermione were gone with the rest of the Gryffindors. He had the entire tower to himself, and he enjoyed every minute of the rare peace that came with it. The castle itself was peaceful, holding only three students and six members of the staff.  
  
He woke up in an armchair in front of the fire in the common room, surprisingly less exhausted than he'd been in so long. It was the first nights' sleep without nightmares in ages. 'Must be the lack of sleep catching up with my brain,' he thought as he stretched and began up the stairs to change his clothes, 'Maybe my mind is closed off to Voldemort's antics when I'm this tired.' He found his jeans and a green and blue shirt to wear and pulled his robe, leaving it open. He went downstairs and smiled as he noticed the pile of wrapped presents waiting for him next to his chair. He grabbed the first one on top and sat down to open it.  
  
It was from the Dursleys, a piece of yarn and a note asking him to see if he could never come home again. He threw that in the fire and moved on to the next present.  
  
He got a little box with a magical lock and key to put small stuff into from Hermione, a pair of blue and black mittens from Mrs. Weasley, and a snow globe form Ron. There was one present left, and Harry had no idea who it could be from. He picked up the card that had come with it and opened it slowly.  
  
It was written hastily, from what he could tell, and he could just barely make out the words.  
  
Harry,  
I know that you probably aren't getting much for Christmas, seeing as though your relatives don't really care, and you've only got the Weasleys and Hermione. I've only just gotten back from Hogsmeade, where only one place is open in the dark hours of Christmas morning. At the last minute, I decided to make your holidays better, as I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to buy you a present.  
Please come and see me today, perhaps after dinner or something. It gets lonely down here sometimes.  
With love,  
Severus  
  
Harry smiled, putting the card down and reaching for Severus' gift. He unwrapped it slowly, relishing every moment. When he got the last shred of paper off, he gasped.  
  
It was a laptop, except it was powered by magic. It had everything Harry had ever wanted on it, all his favorite computer games, the internet, and more. There was a small note attached to the space button, and it read:  
  
Anything you write to me will be automatically sent to mine. I got one, although much smaller than yours. Love Severus  
  
Harry could hardly believe this was real. He took the laptop, climbed out of the common room, and tore down the stairs to the dungeons.  
  
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Wow. That took some creativity. But please, tell me what you think! 


	9. Being Different is Always the Same

I know it's been a while. I've been suffering writer's block all week, and it's vacation from school this week. I make up for it with a longer chapter. I've also made some changes in the first few chapters, especially chapter one, so please look over them and tell me how they are.  
  
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Severus was in a deep slumber when Harry came bursting through the door and pounced right on top of him. His eyes snapped open.  
  
"Sev!"  
  
"What the hell are you doing to me?" Severus yelled. "I could have killed you!"  
  
Harry didn't look too bothered.  
  
"Oh well. Sucks to be me then, right?" He grinned at Severus, who looked as though he'd been run over.  
  
"I see you opened your presents?" Severus gestured at the laptop. Harry nodded. "You know, you can put a privacy charm on that so no one else can see what you're writing."  
  
"Yeah, I thought about that," Harry said slowly. "I wanted to play around with it first, see what I could do."  
  
Severus nodded, slowly trying to get his bearings back. After watching Harry play with the laptop for a few moments, he sat up and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"I made sure it was the closest to a Muggle PC program there was," he said quietly. "There are the advanced disks next to mine if you want to upgrade."  
  
"Yeah, I might have to," Harry said thoughtfully. "They had Windows NT, then 2K, which I'm not too fond of. This is NT."  
  
"I've got the Wizard's XP over there," Severus yawned. "I take it you like it?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so..." Harry was too engrossed in personalizing the settings to pay much attention to what Severus was saying. He turned everything blue, though he knew he'd have to do it over again when he upgraded.  
  
"Severus?"  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
Harry looked over at him and smiled. "Thank you for the best Christmas present ever."  
  
That made Severus' heart warm with joy he hadn't felt in many years. "You're welcome, Harry."  
  
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The laptop kept Harry occupied for over a fortnight before he realized he needed to put it aside and concentrate on his studies. He still wasn't talking to Ron and Hermione, though he knew that eventually, one of them would come back and say something. He really didn't care either way, as he preferred to be alone than constantly bothered. He still had his nightmares on the few nights that he couldn't stay awake, and they got worse as the days went by.  
  
He was down in the Potions dungeon one day in late January, and Severus was working on his own potion across the room. Harry was halfway through with a Shape Reversing Potion when a strong wave of dizziness past over him. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor next to his cauldron, trying to clear his head.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
The voice sounded so far away, and Harry couldn't tell whose it was. He couldn't see in front of him either, and he was afraid to get up.  
  
"Harry?" This time, it was closer and he felt something touch him. He flinched sharply away from it, trying to curl into a ball.  
  
"It's me, Harry,"  
  
Harry moaned as the panic began to rise up again. "No, please..." his voice cracked and faded away. Memories of the Dursleys flooded his mind and he started to cry like a baby.  
  
"Harry?" The voice was a whisper, and very close to him. He felt someone kiss him softly and suddenly, his vision returned. Severus was kneeling in front of him.  
  
"Se-Severus," Harry said, voice shaking. Severus opened his arms and Harry curled up as small as he could in his lap.  
  
"I-I'm so sorry," he sobbed into Severus' robes. "I feel like such and idiot, crying like this."  
  
"Harry, it's okay," Severus said reassuringly. "It's okay to cry, and sometimes you have to, just to let things go."  
  
"I know, but it's so hard and I feel like I can't cry sometimes. And then things get so hard and I can't control anything anymore and it just comes out. And it makes me feel so stupid and childish." Harry cried harder at this, and Severus rubbed his back, rocking him back and forth a bit.  
  
"You never had the chance to be a child, Harry," Severus said quietly. "Your relatives worked you like an adult from early on, and when you came here at eleven, you still didn't have a chance. You've seen things that no one, not even an adult should have to see. It's not fair to you or anyone else."  
  
"Of course it's not fair!" Harry said, disgust lining his voice. "It's even more unfair that I have to see it and relive it every time I try to go to sleep!"  
  
Severus began to say something, but stopped as he realized something. Harry hadn't been as full of energy since the middle of his fifth year, shortly after that Umbridge bitch denied him the privilege to play Quidditch. He also noticed Harry's lack of desire to play the sport this year, and his ever-increasing tiredness in class. He knew Harry suffered through frequent nightmares and visions from Voldemort after those Occlumency lessons the year before, and he'd known then that things at the Dursleys weren't good.  
  
"Harry, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure," Harry replied.  
  
"When was the last time you had a decent night's sleep?"  
  
Harry had to think about that one for a moment. "Um, I'm not sure. I think it was back in September." He shrugged. "Probably after the feast, I've always slept well after food like that."  
  
"Would you like some Dreamless Sleep Potion to help for a little while?" Severus asked. "Just to get some energy so you don't look so crappy during the day?"  
  
"Sure, if it helps." Harry said, sounding better. "And speaking of potions, what about the ones we were working on?"  
  
"Oh, shit!" Harry moved out of the way as Severus leapt to his feet and looked at the two cauldrons. "They're fine," he said, sighing with relief. Harry stood up.  
  
"We should probably finish them," he said slowly.  
  
"Yeah, that would be a good idea," Severus agreed, walking over to his potion.  
  
The remainder of the evening passed in silence as they finished brewing their potions. Harry cleared his cauldron and marked his vial before turning to leave.  
  
"See you in the morning, Severus."  
  
"Goodnight, Harry."  
  
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The last few days of January passed without any significant happenings. Harry was taking the Dreamless Sleep Potion for a few days, and it helped a lot. He felt like a new person, energetic, less irritable, and stressed out. His grades picked up a bit more, and he became a little happier.  
  
And then he forgot to take the potion one night and his dreams attacked him again.  
  
He stood against a wall, and he could hear voices from just around the corner.  
  
"......we must get to him before he realizes his new powers, my Lord." It was Avery again, and two other Death Eaters Harry didn't know yet.  
  
"Are you sure he is supposed to have these, powers, as you say?" Voldemort sounded skeptical.  
  
"Yes," came the voice of Malfoy's father. "He was supposed to already have some form of it, but we are unsure of he does. After all, his kind of wizards and witches usually don't show any sign of these powers until they reach the day of their 16 and a half birthday."  
  
"That is tomorrow!" Voldemort hissed. "How are we supposed to get him while he is at school, under the noses of those fools and Dumbledore?"  
  
"You do remember that the Ministry is still suspicious of the headmaster, do you?" Avery asked. "We can give a surprise attack, or just sneak into the school and grab the boy. Our sons are there, and they can help us if we need them."  
  
Voldemort paced in front of them.  
  
"When is the next time you'll see your kids?"  
  
"This weekend," Malfoy responded.  
  
"Talk to them, find out what they know, and....." Voldemort's voice faded away.  
  
Harry woke with a start, and looked at the clock. It was seven in the morning, and the dormitory was empty. He sat up and put his head on his chin, thinking.  
  
Malfoy and Avery were in Slytherin, both hated Harry, and their fathers were Death Eaters. There was no way anyone could access school grounds unless they had access. Death Eaters who had kids in the school could, but if they took Harry, Dumbledore would know right away. Harry decided not to worry about it, and began to get dressed for classes.  
  
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A week passed, and nothing happened to Harry. Neither Malfoy nor Avery acted any different around him; Malfoy kept bothering him and Avery just ignored him as always. Harry didn't mention his dream to anyone, and eventually forgot about it.  
  
There was a Hogsmeade weekend just before Valentine's Day. Everyone went, even the teachers and the Headmaster. Harry went on his own, walking around a bit. He went and got some butterbeer, and continued wandering through the village.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a series of loud pops from behind him and to his left. He spun around to see a group of Death Eaters raise their wands at him at the same time.  
  
"Stupify!"  
  
Harry dropped his butterbeer in fear and raised his hands as if he could defend himself that way. Then something shocking happened.  
  
The Stunners that reached his hand rebounded off to the side, and the others froze in midair.  
  
"I see you have some of your powers, Potter," The one in the middle said. It was Lucius Malfoy. "But let's see how well you can use them, shall we?"  
  
He sent some curses towards Harry, who had no time to reach for his wand, nor did he know how to shield himself from so many spells at one time. Somehow, however, his 'powers' did, and a shield went up around him, swallowing the curses.  
  
"Not bad for someone who has never used them before, am I right, Potter?" Avery moved forward in raised his wand. As he opened his mouth, Harry moved his hand up again, thinking he might block whatever curse he might get. Instead, he ended up sending Avery flying back into a tree. Two of the other Death Eaters helped him get up.  
  
Malfoy turned to Harry, hatred in his cold grey eyes. "You son of a bitch."  
  
"HARRY!!!"  
  
The Death Eaters looked around and saw Dumbledore and some other teachers running towards them with their wands out. When they reached Harry, Malfoy, and the others, they stopped and looked at Malfoy.  
  
"Hello, Dumbledore," Lucius' slippery voice greeted the headmaster. "I see you've brought the entire staff force with you today. How nice."  
  
"What are you doing here, Lucius?" Dumbledore demanded, rage in his eyes.  
  
"Like any other citizen, I am able to walk around Hogsmeade." Malfoy replied coolly. "After all, this isn't Hogwarts."  
  
He turned, and paused for a moment. The next thing Harry knew, curses were flying back and forth. Suddenly, an explosion took place between them, stopping everything and everyone as they turned to see the cause of the explosion.  
  
Severus Snape stood just outside the chaos that was frozen in mid-motion. He stalked between the two conflicting groups and stood in the center.  
  
"A word of advice: This is not exactly the place or time to be doing this," He said to the Death Eaters. "The objective here is Potter, but this battle should occur in a place where there are few witnesses and no innocent children to be caught in the crossfire. Most of your children are here, and we need them for the future."  
  
Harry was confused. Severus couldn't be on their side. He just couldn't be. But part of him said he'd been betrayed, somehow.  
  
"Severus,"  
  
"Yes, Lucius?" Severus turned to Malfoy.  
  
"It's nice to see you outside of these robes and masks, as a teacher, again."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Lucius raised his head. "We will leave," he began, looking at Dumbledore. "But this is not over. And we will return. Very shortly," he added, moving his gaze to Harry. "Make sure you work on those, powers, of yours. Wouldn't want you to not know how to use them properly."  
  
They vanished, leaving the teachers and Harry standing there.  
  
"Severus."  
  
Severus turned to the headmaster.  
  
"Explain yourself." Dumbledore said quietly, danger evident in his tone.  
  
"I had to, Albus. You know that," Severus said. "You know where my loyalties lie."  
  
"Do I?"  
  
Severus frowned.  
  
"How am I supposed to tell where you stand, after this?" Dumbledore stepped forward, his right hand clenching his wand. "You come here and act as if you knew this was going to happen, as if you were one of them."  
  
"You should know, Albus," Severus snapped. "You know me better than anyone else, why don't you tell me? You know what I have to do, the things I have to say, everything. YOU know!"  
  
No one said anything. They just stood there, watching him. He looked over at Harry, who was still confused and a little upset.  
  
"You too?" He asked. "I figured as much. I knew it wouldn't last long."  
  
"Severus, leave him out of this!" Dumbledore said sharply.  
  
"Yeah, well, what about you, Albus?" Severus shot at him. "When are you going to stop being too angry to see the obvious and open your eyes a little more? When are you going to stop questioning my motives?"  
  
"When you stop making me question you," Dumbledore responded acidly. "You're the one who said Harry was the objective here—"  
  
"I said that because Harry's always the objective when it comes to that bunch of idiots!" Severus yelled, exasperated. "I came here to protect the rest of the students from getting hurt!"  
  
"And made yourself look like one of them, a traitor of our side!" Dumbledore shouted.  
  
"Don't give me that shit, Albus!" Severus said, his voice deadly, warning accenting every word. "You sent me on this mission; therefore, I have to keep my cover! If you don't like it, too bad! I'm doing this for you, Albus! Not for anyone else! Why can't you see that?"  
  
"Because it doesn't look like it!" Dumbledore hissed coldly.  
  
Severus looked at him and shook his head.  
  
"You're just like my father, you know?" He said quietly, and turned to walk off.  
  
Dumbledore went after him. "Severus!"  
  
Severus spun around. "What?" He spat.  
  
"Severus, calm down and listen to me!" Dumbledore said, grabbing Severus' arm.  
  
"NO!!!" Severus yelled, trying to free his arm and failing. "Let me go! NOW!!!"  
  
"No, Severus," Dumbledore said firmly. Suddenly, he was thrown backwards and into Professor McGonagall, who toppled over. Severus kept walking away. Harry ran after him.  
  
"Severus, please," he begged.  
  
"Harry, don't do this to me." Severus said.  
  
Harry yanked him around. "Severus!"  
  
Severus looked at Harry. "What, Harry?"  
  
"Don't be mad at me, please!" Harry whined. "I thought it for a second, but before you looked at me! Listen, I'm confused, not about you, but those 'powers' that I just got done displaying! And Dumbledore, he's trying to make up for being mean to you! He's not your father, he's better! Believe me, please, Severus!"  
  
Severus looked at Harry, then at Dumbledore.  
  
"I do. And I'm sorry," he said.  
  
"So am I, my dear boy," Dumbledore said, exhaustion lining his face. McGonagall stepped forward.  
  
"Severus, you need to explain to Harry about these powers of his." She said.  
  
"Let's return to the castle, and I will." Severus replied dryly, as they began walking back to the school.  
  
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"So what's this about my powers?" Harry asked.  
  
They were all gathered in Dumbledore's office: McGonagall, Snape, Harry, and Dumbledore. Severus sighed before responding.  
  
"Harry, you have several powers which you have no idea of. Because you are different from other wizards and witches."  
  
"But, why? And what makes me so different?"  
  
"You are a Charmed one, Harry," Dumbledore said. "You are one of a small group of people who are not only witches and wizards, but gifted as well. You have the ability to banish dark creatures and demons and other evil with these powers."  
  
"Like the three witches on TV," Harry said aloud.  
  
"Yes, but different from that. Yes, you can do what they do, but so much more."  
  
"The question is, exactly what can you do?" Severus said. "Because every Charmed one is different and has different powers."  
  
"And colors," Dumbledore added.  
  
"Colors?"  
  
"Yes, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said. "When you had your shield earlier, it was green. Mine is red, Albus' is blue, and Severus' is green as well."  
  
"Your color is not only seen in your shield, but any magic that you project with your body," said Severus. "You can also change form, from human to human, or, if necessary, from human to animal. While you're changing, all we see is your color until you finish."  
  
"Interesting." Harry said.  
  
"You need to learn your powers, Harry," Dumbledore said. "And quickly. So that you can defend yourself and others from evil."  
  
"I will, I promise." Harry said confidently.  
  
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"I can teach you how to use them, Harry."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Severus and Harry were walking down to the dungeons. Students were drifting into the building in groups as the evening was approaching fast.  
  
"How can you teach me?" Harry asked, looking at Severus.  
  
"Because I am a Charmed one as well and I can."  
  
"Just asking," Harry said.  
  
"And I'm just answering. Get a sense of humor." Severus smiled.  
  
"I have one," Harry shot back playfully.  
  
"Sure. Whatever you say," Severus teased. They reached the Potions classroom, and Severus turned to Harry.  
  
"Let's get started, shall we?"  
  
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Well, there you go. That's ten pages according to Microsoft Word. I'm surprised my left wrist isn't in pain from typing for the last three hours. But I have things I need to do before going back to school tomorrow, so, I'll work on the next chapter and post it soon. In the meantime, please review! 


	10. Pleasure Before Work

I know I've been slow on this. I'm really just lazy because I've had more than enough time to do this chapter, plus another one. Time to answer some reviews here....it's been a slow week, got scolded by my math teacher and my Spanish V teacher is a bitch...but anyways....  
  
texasjeanette: Um, yeah, I didn't expect it to turn out that way either. I keep reading it over again, trying to understand why it came out so different. As for Harry's dreams, those are the hardest for me to write, and I'm almost out of ideas, since he has them often. He will eventually tell Sev about the Dursleys, but not until later in the year. Albus doesn't really know about the abuse, other than that Harry is underfed and treated like crap, though I think he'll find out soon. And I'm still working on Sev and Harry's relationship.....I haven't done much with these guys yet, have I? Waiting for that special moment, I guess.  
  
Iaurhirwen: I've always wanted a magical computer, it'd be so much more fun than the ones I use everyday, and I could use it whenever I want. I don't have the net here at home, and when I'm grounded, I can't use my puter either(.  
  
Mistik Elf: You are absolutely insane!!! Thank you for bringing some humor into my otherwise quite boring day!  
  
ParanoiaIn2005: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it. I myself can't really see much difference between this and other stories, probably because I'm writing it. I do try to be original, although I have been greatly influenced by authors such as enahma...I loved her trilogy.....anyway, sorry about the grammar, and please let me know about the confusing spots so I can try to fix them.  
  
Lady Darkness13: I was listening to Korn when I wrote that bleeding part...so it was very, um, interesting when I read it over. Maybe I've seen to many gross things here in the city, I dunno.  
  
For everyone else who reviewed, I give thanks (though I can only see the ones from chapters 8 and 9, thanks to insufficient printing supplies at school (this district is POOR! And they keep spending money where it shouldn't be spent!). I'll try to get the rest as soon as I can. BTW, I did steal that Charmed thing from the actual series, but I've got a few other ideas mixed into that. Oh, and can anyone who watches Charmed tell me what it's called when demons, like Cole, get from one place to another? I think it's shimmering, but I'm not sure....  
  
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It had been a fortnight since Harry discovered his new powers, and with Severus' help and instruction had found his other powers. In addition to blocking, freezing, sending people and things flying, and his shield, Severus was able to bring out Harry's (at the time) small abilities to levitate, read minds, heal, and perform hand magic. They practiced every night for long hours, until Harry was able to do each task properly. He was a fast learner, as if his body knew what to do and he just had to train his mind to make them work for him. When he wasn't in class or practicing with Severus, he was reading about the history of Charmed ones and the different qualities and magic they possessed.  
  
He sat alone in Severus' office with a book called "The Charmed" in his lap after lunch, but he really wasn't reading it. The door opened and Severus walked in and sat down at his desk.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Severus asked.  
  
Harry looked at his Potions professor, thinking about how to explain his thoughts. "I'm not sure," he finally said. "Several things, most of which I can't figure out yet..." he trailed off.  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"If being Charmed means passing power along to your offspring, how did I get it?"  
  
Severus thought for a few moments. He knew one part of the answer, but was unsure of the rest. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk, his chin on his knuckles.  
  
"Your father was one, a very strong one." He began slowly, still thinking. "I think your grandparents may have known beforehand that he was strong, because he knew how to use his powers by our first year. As for you mother, I can't think of how she got it. She must have gotten it from the same place she'd gotten any kind of magical power in the first place."  
  
"Yeah, I don't think Aunt Petunia and their parents would've had any magic," Harry said. Severus shook his head as he looked at the clock. It read 12:47.  
  
"Class starts soon, doesn't it?" Harry asked quietly, perusing his book.  
  
"Yes, it does," Severus sighed. "We're doing a new potion, and I pray Weasley doesn't blow everything up again."  
  
Harry laughed. "That was interesting, though I think that without Malfoy's help, it would have exploded anyway."  
  
"Yeah, you go right ahead and laugh about it, you prat." Severus scowled at him as he stood up and swept out into the classroom. Harry rose and followed, setting his things on his desk, still laughing as the bell rang.  
  
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Potions went fine, and soon it was time for supper. Harry didn't go with the rest of the class. Instead, he stayed in the classroom, reading his book. He was on the part where people are classified by their powers into strength groups. Beginners and those with limited ability to use their powers were classified as Amateurs, those with significant ability yet possessing only select powers were Gifted, and those who could equally perform the majority of existing powers were called Elite. Harry considered himself to be an Amateur, because he had only just begun to learn.  
  
He became so engrossed in the book that he never heard the door open and close with an audible snap. He didn't notice anything until the lights were extinguished and he was unable to see anything.  
  
He put the book aside and stood up silently, listening as hard as he could for any movement at all. He thought he heard a faint rustle of robes, but dismissed it as his imagination going wild. He didn't dare say anything, for fear of being found, and he moved silently to the front of the room and leaned against Severus' desk, looking around. Again, he thought he heard someone moving, but his heart was pounding so hard he wasn't sure.  
  
"He-hello?" He asked softly, his voice shaking. There was no response but silence. A few seconds later, he heard footsteps very close to him. He turned to move away, and knocked over a pile of papers. Whoever it was that was in the room quickened their movements as Harry tried to reach the office. Once he got around the desk, however, he was pushed into it, a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Make a sound, and I swear you won't live to see tomorrow," came the whispered hiss of Harry's attacker. "Understand?"  
  
Harry nodded his head, and he was turned around to face his attacker, who was leaning up against him, holding his wrists so he couldn't get out. He managed to get himself under control, enough to realize the familiarity of the attacker. The area of his body that was against Harry seemed similar to someone he knew, but he didn't know just who. Suddenly the other man lowered his head so he could reach Harry's right ear.  
  
"My, my, Potter," he breathed softly, and Harry's body tensed slightly. "We are vulnerable, aren't we?" When Harry didn't say anything, he continued. "And very sensitive as well," he said, his breath along Harry's neck, sending shivers through him.  
  
"Tell me, Potter, how does it feel to be, shall we say, exposed?" He asked, his lips brushing Harry's skin. Harry's breath hitched slightly to the very familiar sounding speech, and he closed his eyes. "Hmm? Tell me, Potter."  
  
Harry tried to raise his hands, but the other man's hands around his wrists tightened slightly. "No, no, Potter," he whispered into Harry's neck. "Tell me how it feels." Harry purposely tilted his head away from the other man, to see what he would do. "Trying to get away, are we? I can't let you do that, Potter."  
  
"Why?" Harry asked softly, his voice hoarse.  
  
"You haven't answered my question," the man replied. Harry turned his head towards the other man a bit, out of instinct. "Very good," the man said, breathing on Harry's already sensitive skin. "Tell me, what does it feel like when I do this?"  
  
The man leaned into Harry's neck and began kissing from his collarbone to just below his ear. Harry could feel his pulse quicken as the man got closer to his ear. He ran the tip of his tongue along the underside of Harry's ear, causing him to moan softly.  
  
"Talk to me, Potter," the man said, voice low, his warm breath flowing under Harry's ear as he pressed himself against the other's body even more. Suddenly, Harry knew.  
  
"Severus," he whispered.  
  
The man paused. "How do you know?" He asked, still very near to Harry's ear.  
  
"Your body," Harry said quietly.  
  
"That means nothing. I could be posing as him," the man whispered. "Try again, Potter."  
  
Harry turned his head to the right and tilted it back slightly. "Kiss me," he said.  
  
"Why should I?" The man taunted, shifting his body a little, tempting Harry.  
  
Harry shrugged. "Fine," he said, turning his head away.  
  
"Tell me, Potter," the man whispered as he released one of Harry's wrists. "You never told me."  
  
"No." Harry tried to make his voice firm, but it came out weak, with an echo of hunger in it.  
  
"Yes, Potter," the man brought his hand up and turned Harry's face towards him. Harry could feel the man's breath on his lips. "Tell me."  
  
"No," he moaned.  
  
Their faces were very close now. "Yes."  
  
"No," Harry breathed, unable to use his voice. He brought his hand up to the man's neck, causing their lips to touch briefly.  
  
"Tell me, please," the man said, his voice breaking down into a whisper against his will. "Harry," he whispered as he released his other wrist. He kissed Harry, before pulling back slightly.  
  
Harry pulled him down again, with both hands. "Sev," he whispered into the man's mouth before covering it with his own. He kissed the man with such hunger that Severus couldn't hold his own back, and he returned it. For several moments, they were lost in their own world of desire and passion, until Harry broke free to catch his breath.  
  
"You are by far the most interesting person I have ever met," Harry said softly.  
  
"Really," Severus said, pulling Harry towards him again.  
  
"Yes," Harry managed to say before his mind was submerged in the most tantalizingly glorious session of love making he would never forget.  
  
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The next morning found Harry and Severus surprisingly well rested, though with a hint of the previous night's activities in their behavior. Nobody noticed anything different about them, or the brief glances across the room that seemed almost accidental. Instead, they were too busy with their studies to even ask Harry about his newly acquired powers.  
  
Harry spent the day working on those powers, marveling over how quickly he mastered them, by just the mere thought even.  
  
The door opened behind him and he whirled around. With a flick of his wrist, the intruder was flung against a nearby wall. It took Harry a moment to realize who it was.  
  
"We'll have to add that to my latest list of injuries, won't we?" Severus sneered sarcastically. Harry cringed.  
  
"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to come in."  
  
Severus shook his head. "No need for apologies. I should be teaching. Instead, there's been some disturbing news."  
  
Harry frowned. "What happened?"  
  
"Apparently, there have been Death Eaters roaming around the grounds today," Severus said. "Dumbledore thinks they're waiting for the perfect moment to attack."  
  
"So what's going to happen here inside the school?"  
  
Suddenly, Professor McGonagall's magnified voice sounded. "All students are to report to the lowest level of the school dungeons. All Heads and Prefects are in charge. All staff report to the staffroom immediately."  
  
Severus looked at Harry. "You have to come with me."  
  
"Why?" Harry was getting nervous and his mind was racing. "I'm a student!"  
  
"You have what it takes to fight them!" Severus exclaimed impatiently, grabbing Harry's hand and leading him out into the hall.  
  
"But I'm just an amateur!" Harry complained. Severus whipped around to face him.  
  
"After what you just did to me in there? Do you realize how fast you've accomplished full control of the powers you have knowledge of having? You are most certainly NOT an amateur! You are no less skilled than I am in this field!"  
  
Harry was taken aback by Severus' words. He hadn't been paying that much attention to his abilities, and now he realized how right Severus was.  
  
"Alright, then," Harry said, and they continued walking.  
  
Students were filing down the stairways, talking confusedly. Several were asking questions about what happened and the theories that some had come up with were quite amusing as they were completely ridiculous.  
  
Severus and Harry had to climb up two floors to reach the empty silence of the hallways. When they reached the staffroom, they were met with Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers.  
  
"They're here," he said to them. "It's time."  
  
With that, the staff left the room and went down the stairs to head out to the grounds. Dumbledore pulled Harry and Severus aside.  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry that I have to bring you into this," he said. "But you must understand that we need everything we can get, and most of all we need you."  
  
"It's okay, Professor," Harry smiled briefly. "I can do this."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and turned to Severus.  
  
"You know what you have to do?"  
  
Severus nodded, unsure of what to say.  
  
"Then I wish you both the best of luck."  
  
They stepped onto the threshold of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and took in the sight of over a hundred Death Eaters and their Lord gathered in front of them.  
  
"Let the games begin," Harry said, more to himself than anyone else.  
  
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Sorry so short. I promise I will do better on the next chapter, and perhaps cure this horrible spell of laziness that has come over me. Until then, I wish all a nice weekend. 


	11. Too Much At Once

The simple joys of writing. I have just begun to notice how hard it is to keep going with a story. This is the longest I've ever written, I think my English teacher would be impressed. This whole battle thing is going to be really hard for me to write, so please don't bitch too much if it's crappy......sigh.  
  
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There were only about fifteen staff members, but as Harry scanned their side of the grounds, most of the Order was also present, including Lupin, who looked much healthier than normal. Dumbledore stood in the center, with Harry and Severus alongside him, facing Voldemort, who stood some thirty feet away.  
  
"We meet again," he hissed.  
  
"Yes, we do meet....again," Dumbledore replied dryly.  
  
"For the last time," Lucius Malfoy said venomously, glaring at Harry.  
  
"Yes," Voldemort looked at Harry. "Pity you won't be able to use your powers for much more than saving your skin, Potter."  
  
"Go to hell, Tom," he sneered, relishing in Voldemort's face as it whitened further than would seem natural.  
  
"As long as I get rid of all these Muggle-loving idiots first," he spat.  
  
"That will be much harder than you think," Dumbledore said calmly.  
  
Voldemort and several Death Eaters smirked. "That's what you think."  
  
It began in less than a second. Harry suddenly found himself surrounded by spells and curses of various degrees. The noise was deafening, and for a moment, Harry was unsure of what to do, before three Death Eaters popped up around him.  
  
"Crucio!" They shouted in unison. Harry had just enough time to put up a shield as he whipped his wand out.  
  
"Stupefy!" He shouted before turning around and finding himself face to face with Nott.  
  
"Say your prayers, Potter!" He snarled.  
  
"I don't like to waste my time for worthless fools, Nott!"  
  
Nott's face reddened, and he sent a curse at Harry, who deflected it back towards him. The air was full of Nott's screaming as the curse hit him.  
  
"Silencio!"  
  
"I must say, it's a pleasure to be working with you," said a low voice from Harry's right. He looked over and saw Lupin. "I just wish it didn't have to be this way."  
  
"Me too," Harry replied, dodging more spells and sending a few of his own. When he looked over to his right again, Lupin had vanished. He never had time to ponder where he'd gone because he began to feel a horribly familiar sensation.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
He spun around and saw Severus standing there, with a look of distaste and slight apprehension on his face.  
  
"What?" He snapped, falling into his old role as Severus' enemy. Their eyes met as Harry's senses started to fog with an angry chill.  
  
"Dementors."  
  
Harry felt the blood leave his face, his mind overrun by the cold, echoes of his worst memories in his ears.  
  
"No," he said quietly. Severus sneered at him, but Harry knew it was an act and nothing more.  
  
"Did you really think we'd forget to bring your favorite creatures to this party?" He laughed, a sound that sent shivers down Harry's spine. "Of course not."  
  
He turned around again, and saw the dementors crossing the grounds towards him. He tried to shield himself against their powers, but he couldn't block them. He could hear cold laughter in his ears as his vision began to fade.  
  
He saw Sirius as he fell to his death at the Ministry. He was surrounded by Death Eaters, and Belatrix Lestrange was making fun of him before he used the Cruciatus on her. He heard his mother's voice, begging, pleading for his life.  
  
"Expecto Pa—"He was overwhelmed with memories, and fell to his knees.  
  
"Kill the spare!" Cedric's body, lying spread-eagled on the ground, intense pain in Harry's scar.  
  
"Expect—expecto Patronum!" But all that came out of his wand was a little mist.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" "Expelliarmus!"  
  
"Harry Potter. Our new celebrity."  
  
"Expecto Patronum!" Again, another mist. He didn't know how much more he could take.  
  
"Legilimens!" His childhood flashed before his eyes, everything the Dursleys and the kids at school put him through. Severus' childhood memories when they were in his office for Occlumency.  
  
Severus....  
  
"Expecto Pat--patronum!" He was choking from the reeking stench of the approaching dementors.  
  
"Tell me, Potter, how does it feel to be, shall we say, exposed?" The rush of adrenaline as Severus kissed his neck and ear....the feeling of Severus' body next to his, the things Severus did to Harry that left him with barely enough breath to moan his name......  
  
"Severus....." he whispered.  
  
Severus, who needed him as much as he was needed by Harry.....Severus......  
  
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"  
  
A silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand, and charged at the dementors, circling Harry, protecting him.  
  
"Really, an amazing performance by the savior of the Light Side," a sarcastic voice invaded Harry's mind. Looking up, he saw Voldemort standing in front of him. "But I must ask, why are you using your wand?"  
  
Harry glared at him. "Because I have that option. Because I want to. Got a problem?"  
  
"Tsk, tsk, Potter," Voldemort shook his head. "Where are your manners?"  
  
"I lost them after Belatrix killed my godfather," Harry snarled. "Besides, why would I bother wasting them on you? You're not worth it!"  
  
"If only you weren't so arrogant, Potter," Voldemort whispered. "We could make a wonderful team, you and I."  
  
"If this is another attempt to win my allegiance—"  
  
"Why yes, Potter, it is."  
  
He turned his head to the left and saw Severus, Malfoy, and Belatrix standing there. He also noticed that most of the dueling had temporarily ceased, with all eyes on Harry. It was Belatrix who'd spoken.  
  
"I think it's time you made up your mind, don't you?" Voldemort said in a sickeningly persuasive tone. Harry looked at him with disgust.  
  
"You'll never give up, will you?"  
  
"Not until I have to kill you." Voldemort smiled.  
  
Harry smiled as well, and tucked his wand away. He spread his arms to show he was open and vulnerable, still smiling. He backed up a bit so he could see the three on his left as well as Voldemort himself in front of him.  
  
"Then why don't you come and get me?" Harry asked, his voice low and daring. "Come on. Give it your best shot."  
  
Severus took a good, long look into Harry's eyes as he stepped forward to stand next to Voldemort. He was not at all comforted by what he saw. There was no emotion in those eyes. Just steely determination and emptiness in the clear emerald orbs.  
  
"You don't really want us to do that, Potter," Belatrix said, joining Voldemort's other side, with Malfoy.  
  
Severus caught the glitter of hatred as Harry's eyes moved to Belatrix's, his arms lowering to his sides.  
  
"Don't I?" He said, his voice gradually changing. "And tell me, why don't I?"  
  
"Because you will not win." Malfoy said maliciously.  
  
Harry let out a laugh. But it was nothing like any laugh Severus had heard from him, instead, it was laced with cold, uncaring sarcasm. He quickly sobered, as if not really amused.  
  
"Really." Harry said in the same tone as his laughter.  
  
"Really," Voldemort said. He turned to Severus. "What do you think, Severus?"  
  
"I don't think he'll survive to tell the tale," he sneered, in his usual cold manner.  
  
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Harry asked, in a manner mirroring Severus'. He looked at the four of them. "I don't think you guys can take me on—and defeat me."  
  
"Yes, we can," Severus snapped quickly, watching Harry's behavior closely. Cold black eyes met empty and equally chilling emerald ones. Harry smirked, thoroughly enjoying himself.  
  
"Then," he said slowly, deliberately, his voice matching Severus' in every way, taunting him, testing him. "Why don't you.......prove it?" He stepped forward, facing Severus only. "If you can," he added.  
  
Before Severus could move, something red went in Harry's direction. Harry, however, was not fazed and merely leaned away, turning to the source.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," he simpered sarcastically. "Did I make you three feel left out?"  
  
"We're tired of waiting, you fool." It was Belatrix, and she looked more than out of patience.  
  
"Then let me help you out," Harry shrugged, indicating he was ready.  
  
For a moment, the area was full of different colors as they soared back and forth. Harry never bothered to use any shields, but he eventually tired of Belatrix.  
  
"You're too boring," Voldemort said to her. She made the mistake of looking at him and not Harry, who took advantage of the moment and sent her headlong into a tree, where she fell unconscious.  
  
"You never could kill anyone, could you?" Malfoy taunted him.  
  
"You could be the first, you know," Harry replied scathingly.  
  
Several pops sounded between them and the school. More Death Eaters had arrived, and immediately occupied everyone else's attention.  
  
A silver ball of flame appeared in Malfoy's hand. "If you can figure out how to stop this," he said, throwing it at Harry, who easily avoided it. Malfoy laughed.  
  
"Stupid boy." He began throwing several of them at Harry, who had a gut feeling that even his shield couldn't block them. Instead, he kept blocking them, trying to send them back to their owner, but unable to make them go where he wanted them to. In the meantime, he could hear Voldemort's laughter, and froze Malfoy in mid-motion. He waited for the laughter to end, before concentrating his energy on sending the silver fireballs where he wanted them. He smirked as he unfroze Malfoy, watching his face pale a split second before he was hit, no less than 17 times, by his own magic. He fell to the ground, obviously dead.  
  
Voldemort and Severus looked from Malfoy's body to Harry, who stood there, calm and without a care in the world.  
  
Severus stepped forward, pocketing his wand. He was more than ready to battle with Harry, knowing that they were equal and couldn't overpower each other. However, he had a feeling there was something going on in Harry's mind that he just didn't want to know about.  
  
"Professor Snape, challenging me?" Harry mocked, sidestepping a stray curse from the others.  
  
"Yes, Potter, I am." Severus sneered. He had to figure out what was so...different here.  
  
Harry smirked, glancing around. Then, without looking, he sent a series of red flames at Severus. Severus dodged them and with a flick of his wrist, sent Harry off his feet and into the air. Harry vanished in midair and reappeared, a shimmer of green light both times, behind Severus, who spun around in time to block Harry's curses.  
  
"You're playing with fire," Severus said dangerously, sending sparks at Harry.  
  
"Do I look as though I give a damn?"  
  
A shower of green, gold, and deep blue sparks fell over them as Voldemort joined the duel. This didn't bother Harry at all, it just gave him more to do. He was double teamed, and he knew it, but he didn't care. He continued to defend himself just as well as before, if not better.  
  
Voldemort began to send black fireballs at Harry, Severus following suit, though his were tinged with red. Harry had no idea how to deal with them, so he began to run.  
  
"Why are you running, Potter?" Voldemort called after him, still sending the fireballs. "Are you frightened?"  
  
But as Harry ran faster, he was surrounded by a green aura that went with him until he vanished from sight. He appeared some feet away from Severus, who promptly attacked him with his fireballs. Harry was able to dodge them until Voldemort added his share. He began to lose hope, frantic for something. There was only one thing he could think of, and he hadn't practiced it at all. He didn't even know if he could do it; he'd only seen Severus do it. But he tried it, mentally crossing his fingers.  
  
He stopped for half a second, and quickly spun to the left, in a complete rotation, bringing his hands around and together, before spreading his arms out.  
  
It was brief, but the ultimate power of protection was exactly what he needed to temporarily defuse their fireball supplies. Through the protection, Harry did a number of things in quick succession. He blew up Voldemort's shield and focused his energy on banishing him to his manor. After succeeding, he relocated just before the protection vanished. He appeared and disappeared several times, in several places, focusing as much energy as possible on either banishing Death Eaters or blowing them up. He finally reappeared where he'd started seconds earlier, in front of Severus, who was still trying to curse him. Harry froze everything around them and blew up Severus' curse before it left his hands.  
  
Severus paused and looked around before speaking.  
  
"What the hell have you just done?" He asked, looking at Harry.  
  
Harry staggered forward, grabbing Severus' neck to keep his balance. "Too much, I think," he said breathlessly.  
  
Severus steadied him. "I'd say."  
  
Harry looked him in the eyes, his own clouded and dilated. "I love you," he said, and he pulled Severus' head down to kiss him quickly. "But I don't think I can stay conscious much longer."  
  
He managed to unfreeze everyone before collapsing in Severus' arms.  
  
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yawn How can 7 pages take 3 hours? Oh well. I need to get away from my puter, before I try and put my head through it. I think most of my energy went into Harry's powers, especially the last session. I feel just as drained as he is....... Anyway, hope it was up to standard here.....let me know what you think, k? 


	12. Setarina Evanis

Yes............after all this time, I finally got off my lazy ass and continued this story. sigh I'm sorry I kept everyone waiting. I am really unfair..... But I do promise to not be so late in updating from now on. After all, I do have a story to finish..... Now, on to that story.  
  
He didn't open his eyes when he finally woke up. He wanted to enjoy the remnants of the most peaceful sleep he'd had in months, years even.  
  
He heard a door open some distance away from where he was lying, and heard several hushed voices.  
  
"....really think we should do this, Albus?" It was Madame Pomfrey. She seemed extremely worried.  
  
"We don't have any other choice, Poppy," Dumbledore said quietly. "He did too much at one time, and even worse, he'd never done anything like that before."  
  
Madame Pomfrey sighed heavily. "Alright. If we must...."  
  
That was all Harry heard before falling into the black pool of his subconscious once again.  
  
Severus had just finished given instructions for his sixth year class of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. While the students began assembling their potions, he sat down at his desk, sighing. He was so exhausted; he knew that if he wasn't careful he would fall asleep right then and there. The last few days had been hard on him. The battle had left him drained, not just mentally, but magically as well. He knew it had been years since he'd really had to use his powers like that, but he never thought it would affect him so much. But he was so tired........  
  
"Professor Snape?"  
  
He opened his eyes and saw one of the Ravenclaw girls, Setarina Evanis, in front of his desk. Apparently he had almost fallen asleep.  
  
"Miss Evanis?"  
  
"Um, I, uh," she shifted nervously, not meeting his gaze. This was unusual for her, as she wasn't the least bit shy....unless she'd done something wrong.  
  
"Are you going to tell me, or continue stammering like a child?" He asked, with far less sarcasm than normal. She looked up at him.  
  
"I sort of, um, I accidentally made something blow up."  
  
"And what would that something happen to be?"  
  
"The store cupboard, professor."  
  
Severus' mouth fell open slightly as he turned his gaze to said cupboard. There were scorch marks all along the sides and floor, and the contents had been reduced to......thin air.  
  
"Dare I ask, Miss Evanis, where the remains of the supplies went," he asked slowly.  
  
"Honestly, I have no idea." She looked like she was about to cry. She shook her head just enough to let her black hair fall in front of her face, blocking the rest of the class from seeing her expression. "It just happened. I don't know why—"  
  
Severus was too tired to be cruel to her, and really didn't want to. "Class dismissed. Miss Evanis, please come with me."  
  
Harry woke up again several hours later, to a darkened room. Looking around, he could make out the blurry outlines of other beds, and he knew he was under the care of Madame Pomfrey.  
  
Speaking of her, she saw him looking around and walked over.  
  
"Good evening, Mr. Potter."  
  
"Good evening, Madame Pomfrey," he replied, sitting up and putting his glasses on. She gave him one last look over before letting him leave. The next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of an even darker hallway. He began heading towards the Great Hall, perhaps to grab the last morsels of dinner before it all disappeared, but these thoughts quickly vanished as he passed the teachers room.  
  
The door was cracked open, and he heard the voices of Severus and the Headmaster inside.  
  
"...she has no clue how or why it happens, Albus!" Severus sounded slightly panicked. "She could easily eliminate her classmates before ever realizing the full extent of the power she holds! And what about her sister? You and I both know that if one has it, so does the other!"  
  
"Severus, I know this, having been there myself." Albus said. "But for now, all we can do is wait. Then we will see."  
  
"I only hope you are right, Headmaster." Severus said. Harry heard his footsteps nearing the door and took off down the hall and around the corner. Once out of sight of the Potions professor, he walked slower, and wasn't paying much attention until he nearly bumped into someone around another corner.  
  
"Sorry!" They said in unison. Harry took a look at the other person and saw it was Setarina Evanis, who was in his Herbology class. She was the only Ravenclaw who was taking the class, so she was placed in with the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. She was very smart and had a good sense of humor, but Harry doubted that there would be any jokes this time from the look on her face.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked her. She shook her head.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing. Just life," She laughed bitterly.  
  
"Ah. Yeah, I know how that is," Harry said.  
  
"Well, see you later," she said.  
  
"You too."  
  
Harry continued walking down the hall, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Harry Potter."  
  
He froze, listening hard. There wasn't a sound, and he debated whether or not to turn around, when someone's hands gripped his upper arms tightly.  
  
"Doesn't it just fascinate you," Severus whispered against his neck. "How I can sneak up to you and you'd never know a thing?"  
  
Harry turned around, smiling. "Yes, it does. But let me ask you this: Why are you sneaking around?"  
  
"Because I have the privilege of doing so."  
  
Severus studied Harry for a moment. He was very thin and looked beyond tired.  
  
"Are you sure you slept at all in the last week?" He asked Harry.  
  
Harry shrugged. "It felt like sleep, but it could have been a really nice wet dream."  
  
Severus laughed. "You're real funny, you know."  
  
"I know," Harry said as they walked off.  
  
"She's a WHAT?"  
  
They were sitting in the Headmaster's office, and Dumbledore had just told Harry about Setarina's newfound abilities.  
  
"Harry, please, relax." Dumbledore said, alarmed.  
  
"And how exactly do you propose I go about doing that?" Harry yelled.  
  
"Breathing usually helps," Severus said sarcastically.  
  
Harry shot him a really nasty look before trying to calm down.  
  
"Would you like a lemon drop, Harry?" Dumbledore asked cautiously.  
  
"Hell, no! I am so NOT in the mood for a lemon drop, thank you very much!" Harry said sharply. Dumbledore sighed heavily.  
  
"We don't know for sure if she really is a Charmed one, Harry."  
  
"What else could she possibly be?" Harry mumbled, curling up in his chair and turning his face to the fire, away from Severus and Dumbledore.  
  
When Severus walked into the Great Hall for breakfast the following morning, he was greeted with the distinct smell of smoke. Almost like.....  
  
"Like burned oatmeal?"  
  
Severus turned around and saw Harry's disheveled form in the doorway. "Yeah, something like that."  
  
Harry looked at him. "You look funny with your nose wrinkled like that."  
  
"You could be the next burning object, you know."  
  
There was a small explosion and they looked towards the Ravenclaw table. When the smoke cleared somewhat, they saw Setarina sitting with a little boy in her arms, tears falling down her face. When she saw Severus and Harry (not to mention the majority of those trying to eat) looking at her, she cried harder.  
  
"I don't know how—why I—how—what have I done?"  
  
Severus exchanged a look with Dumbledore, who was sitting at the Head Table.  
  
"Now what?" Severus asked, exasperatedly.  
  
There was no time to take care of that situation, for the main doors had burst open, and several cloaked figures entered the Hall. McGonagall stood up quickly.  
  
"Everybody GET OUT!"  
  
The students ran through the doors in the back of the hall, Setarina dragging the little boy, with some help from her friends.  
  
"Still got those fast reflexes, eh, McGonagall?" It was Crabbe, who spoke, barely heard over the footsteps of the retreating students.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked quietly. From where Harry was standing, he could see Dumbledore's knuckles turn white as they gripped his goblet tightly.  
  
"Taking vengeance for the death of a close friend of ours," Voldemort's voice emerged from behind his followers. Aiming his wand quickly, he said,  
  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
Upon hearing these two devastatingly frightening words, Setarina panicked. Turning around, she saw one of her friends, Susan Bones.  
  
"Sue, can you get him out of here?" She begged, gesturing to the boy in her arms.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Susan said, taking him. "Get yourself out of here as fast as you can, Setarina. It's dangerous."  
  
Setarina nodded, but instead of trying to escape like everyone else, she went back to find her sister. It didn't take her long.  
  
"Lileana!"  
  
A girl with black curls and glasses turned quickly. "What? Don't tell me you've blown something up again."  
  
Setarina shook her head, but before she could speak, the entire hall was filled with horrible screams and curses.  
  
Lileana grabbed her arm. "Come on, I have an idea."  
  
There were students everywhere. It was complete chaos. Harry had no idea who was who until he heard the screams. Spinning around, he saw a group of younger Hufflepuffs trapped by three Death Eaters and several older Slytherins. In one motion, they raised their wands and said, in unison,  
  
"Avada Kedavra."  
  
Harry stood, frozen, as he watched the Hufflepuffs' limp bodies crumple to the ground, listening to their murderers' insane laughter ring in his ears. Gathering all of his willpower, he tore his eyes away and vanished before they saw him.  
  
It was Professor Sprout who fell to Voldemort's deadly words before things got out of hand. Severus found himself surrounded by terrified students. Terrified, unprepared students who were also children. Everywhere he looked, there were faces with fear or sick pleasure on them.  
  
He came back to himself as he was attacked, by a student who, out of fear of anything with black on, thought he too was a Death Eater. I AM a Death Eater, Severus mused to himself for a brief moment. As he ducked the curse that was sent to him, he realized the position he was in.  
  
He was a Death Eater, follower of Voldemort. But he was also a spy, Dumbledore's spy. And this was Hogwarts, with several hundred students, Dumbledore and the staff, all of the Death Eaters, and Lord Voldemort himself.  
  
And Harry Potter was........  
  
Harry Potter was lost in his own mental world as he walked through the mass of bodies that surrounded him. He kept getting flashbacks, echoes of screams that came with the ones made in the Great Hall. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he never saw the towering figure that approached him from the side, never heard the voice that came out of that figure's mouth.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Harry's body stiffened in response to the powerful curse. The pain raced through his body, burning him, cutting him open with invisible knives. The curse continued and became more intense, as the hatred from the castor became more focused on the target.  
  
It was too much, too painful for Harry to bear in one of his most vulnerable states. He couldn't hold it anymore. He screamed.  
  
Setarina and Lileana heard Harry scream, and they knew that something was wrong.  
  
Lileana turned to her sister.  
  
"Listen, we need to use whatever powers we've got to help him."  
  
"Even the ones I don't know how to use?" Setarina asked nervously.  
  
"Yes." Lileana sighed. "But you have to be careful-concentrate and they'll work the way you want them to."  
  
Setarina nodded and they walked towards Harry and his attacker. They couldn't see who it was because the hood was pulled down over the eyes.  
  
"Ready?" Lileana asked Setarina.  
  
"Ready."  
  
Lileana darted out in front of Harry's attacker and grabbed his wand arm, and twisted it around. Unfortunately when she turned, she met his other arm, and was caught by the throat.  
  
Mind filled with panic, Setarina concentrated as hard as she could on her sister's captor. The next thing she knew, he exploded into flames, and Lileana was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily.  
  
Severus knew he couldn't help Harry, whatever trouble he was in. That didn't stop his heart from clenching in pain at the sound of Harry's voice, cutting through the air like a knife.  
  
"Severus Snape."  
  
Turning around, he found himself face to face with Voldemort.  
  
"Yes, my Lord?"  
  
"I want you to kill Harry Potter."  
  
Well, that wasn't so bad was it? A little short, for me, but don't worry. I have plans for these guys, as you will find out very soon....whenever the next opportunity to get online strikes......perhaps in a few more days, or even tomorrow, if I get it out in time before I have to go to the doctor's. I have discovered I have more problems than I thought I had.....but, hey. That's life, my life, for me. Please review and tell me how you like the story so far. 


	13. The Aftermath and Harry's Speech

Hello, faithful readers..........I see that I have left you wondering what Severus is going to do....but really, what do you think he'll do? Would he kill his lover, or would he risk his own life to save the dark side? Read on, and perhaps the answer will unfold itself....  
  
When Harry opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the floor, feet away from Setarina. When he sat up, he was hit by an intense wave of dizziness. He shook his head, and his vision cleared.  
  
"Lileana!" Setarina cried as she rushed toward a girl kneeling on the floor beside Harry.  
  
"Is she okay?" He asked, standing up.  
  
"I'm fine," the girl said, running her hands through her hair before she straightened up. "Just a little shaky, that's all."  
  
Harry held his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her up.  
  
"Thanks," she said, smiling nervously at him. He grinned reassuringly and looked at her sister.  
  
"Setarina, what the hell have you just done?"  
  
"I blew him up," she said without fear of retribution.  
  
Harry shook his head. Then he started laughing.  
  
"What is so funny?" Lileana asked him, staring at him like he had an arm growing from his head.  
  
"You both have the same powers," he began. Then he became deadly serious. "The same powers as me."  
  
There was silence between the three of them.  
  
"You finally figured that out, Potter?"  
  
Harry spun around.  
  
"Goyle." He spat out.  
  
"Yes, that would be me." Goyle said. He was soon joined by his son and the two Crabbe's. "But I'm sure that our lord would be so proud to know we were the ones to destroy the one that holds the faith of all in the wizarding world."  
  
The other three laughed.  
  
"We enjoyed your presence, Potter," The youngest Crabbe said, drawing out his wand.  
  
Harry backed up so he was between the two girls, who had their wands in their hands.  
  
"Take my hands," he instructed them. They did. "Now I want you to concentrate as hard as you can, on reading my mind and focusing my powers through you."  
  
"Why?" Lileana asked.  
  
"Just trust me and do it. When I say a spell or curse, it should go through you to your wands, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Setarina said, the fear lining her voice. Harry squeezed her hand.  
  
"You know," Crabbe's father said slowly, "It's a shame that you could possibly expect a couple of useless girls to be able to help you in this situation, Potter. One would begin to think you are, shall we say, weak?"  
  
"Does it matter whether or not I choose to have two friends, girls or not, help me fight to keep the wizarding world alive?" Harry asked. "No, it doesn't. Because it's my choice and theirs, if they should want to sacrifice everything they know and love for a purpose."  
  
The four Death Eaters laughed.  
  
"Sacrifice their lives......yes, their lives will be sacrificed." Goyle said. They raised their wands.  
  
"Crucio!" Lileana tensed, doing everything in her power not to scream, while her sister moaned in agony.  
  
"Protego!" Harry shouted. He could feel the power of the spell course through his hands. Within seconds, there was a shield around him and the girls, blocking the Cruciatus spell from doing further harm.  
  
"Repelius Exemar!" Harry yelled, and once again, the spell went through him and erupted from the girls' wands as a bright teal light. It rushed towards their attackers and swept them off their feet and into a nearby wall.  
  
Goyle was the first to recover.  
  
"Corabandus Disunitus!" He yelled. The spell plunged through Harry's shield and split the three up so forcefully that each were knocked to the floor.  
  
"Now what?" Setarina exclaimed.  
  
"Think fast and do whatever comes to your mind!" Harry said back to her. "Even if it's wandless magic, do it anyway!"  
  
"Petrificus Totalus!" Vincent Crabbe yelled, aiming for Lileana.  
  
She threw herself back to the ground and rolled over onto her feet again. "Stupefy!" She shouted, and Crabbe, being as slow as ever, didn't react fast enough and fell over unconscious.  
  
They were evenly matched now, but with an unequal balance of power. Harry knew he could take on the Death Eaters with no problems, but he also knew that the two girls had yet to learn how to properly use their powers. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to teach them and wasn't sure if they'd live long enough.  
  
Setarina was battling the eldest Crabbe, who didn't seem to realize that his son was knocked out. Instead, he was concentrating on throwing fireballs at Setarina, who was trying her best not to get hit. She seemed to be doing a fairly decent job.  
  
Until he began shooting them three at a time. She couldn't keep her eyes on all of them and got hit. Immediately, an aura of red light surrounded her. She let out a scream and tried to ignore the pain. She put so much of her energy in this that she started to push it away, out of her body. The aura faded, and the fireball flew back to its owner and exploded on contact, leaving him dead.  
  
Setarina took a look around her. Everyone in the Hall was fighting someone, and it seemed like it was a never-ending sea of curses and spells. She saw her sister with Gregory Goyle and Harry with Goyle's father. Harry seemed to have control over what he was doing, but Lileana looked like she was about to break. Setarina walked over to her and took her hand.  
  
"Now isn't that sweet?" Goyle said tauntingly. "You guys look so cute holding each other's hand."  
  
"Not as cute as you're going to look when we're finished with you," Setarina said vehemently.  
  
"You really think you could do anything to hurt me?" Goyle asked. "Your sister can't even touch me."  
  
"Watch us," Setarina said heatedly.  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Together, the sisters did all they could to block the effects of the spell. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could have been, because the castor wasn't as experienced.  
  
"Is that the only spell you know how to use?" Lileana asked him. "Because it really sucked."  
  
"Not to mention it's getting a little old," Setarina added.  
  
Goyle opened his mouth and raised his wand, but he never got passed that point. The sisters concentrated on him and only him, and with a wave of their hands, he blew up.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted, and Goyle's father's wand soared through the air. Harry caught it and aimed it at its owner.  
  
"Would you like me to use this against you or snap it in half?" He asked. "Because either way, you're going to end up dead."  
  
"You think so?" Goyle asked.  
  
"No," Harry replied. "I know so."  
  
"Yeah, right." Goyle said, trying to be fierce, but his voice cracked slightly.  
  
Harry took Goyle's wand in both hands, keeping eye contact with the other. Wordlessly, he bent Goyle's wand, slowly. He relished the look of deep torture on Goyle's face as he continued to bend the wand.  
  
Suddenly, it snapped.  
  
The look on Goyle's face was absolutely priceless as he watched Harry throw the two splintered pieces of his wand into the air and blew them up.  
  
"Painful, isn't it?"  
  
"You son of a bitch!" Goyle hissed.  
  
"Yes, I know." Harry replied. With a flick of his wrist, Goyle too was reduced to the smallest of ashes in the air.  
  
When the fighting was over, and Voldemort had left with what remained of his followers, the Hogwarts staff and remaining students in the Hall took in the damage and loss.  
  
"Oh my goodness," Professor McGonagall whispered. Her robed were stained with blood and torn from the left sleeve to her wrist. She turned to the headmaster. "Albus....." she trailed off.  
  
Dumbledore looked extremely somber. He too wore robes that were stained with blood, with scorch marks along the bottoms.  
  
There were bodies strewn across the hall, everywhere. None were moving, and most were covered in blood. The Hall was dim, as most of the candles had been destroyed in the fight, and it was difficult to see past one of the House Tables with the dust that remained in the air.  
  
"Looks like the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg," a voice commented dryly from the midst of the Hall. Everyone turned towards it.  
  
Jeans burned and covered in his own blood, shirt soiled with the remains of curses and exploding potions, hair standing on end, wand in his left hand, stood Harry Potter.  
  
"43,000 people died that day in 1863," he said, voice devoid of any emotion. "Ironically enough, it was the enemy who won that battle, but lost the war in the end."  
  
"Two groups, once part of the same nation, the same kind of people, fighting each other," Harry continued, still emotionless. "One side favored the slavery of people who had different color skin, while the other side declared it unconstitutional, that it contradicted the Declaration of Independence. The same Declaration that the nation was founded upon where Thomas Jefferson said: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness'. 55 years later, the whole world was wrapped up in another war, several times worse than ever before. 40 million people lost their lives in that war, because some Nazi dictator wanted to rule the world and rid it of all who were not blue-eyed and blond-haired (though he was neither), or Anglo-Saxon, the race he considered far superior to any other."  
  
He turned to meet the eyes of those who survived their fight.  
  
"They were fighting for freedom," he said. "Freedom that some would not be able to really have for nearly a century more." He paused. "This war isn't just any war. It's not about power, good or evil, or anything that it looks or sounds like it's about. We aren't fighting for any of that. We're fighting for freedom. Nothing more, nothing less. But how many people are going to have to die at the hands of Voldemort, who is just as bad as Hitler? How many more innocent children are going to be sacrificed before we finally stop him? How long will we have to wait for freedom?"  
  
There was silence for several moments as his words sunk in. Suddenly, with a flash of emerald light, Harry was gone.  
  
The funerals for the 107 students who were killed took place in the first two weeks of April. They were done in groups, so as not to prolong the suffering of individual services. 3 teachers had also been killed in the fight. Several students were in the hospital wing, some barely alive. Afterwards, things seemed to be stuck in slow motion, as though time itself was dying. Even the weather was just as dismal as the atmosphere.  
  
While Harry had attended each service, he talked to no one. He nodded and shook hands with some, but as soon as he could, he vanished. Even Severus couldn't talk to him. He buried himself in the misery that had come over everyone and threw himself into his schoolwork. When he wasn't doing that, he walked outside, far away from anyone. He didn't seem to notice the rain that fell, and hadn't really stopped since before the funerals. He found the rain to be peaceful, the only source of serenity he could find in such a cruel, violent world.  
  
The rain ended days before May began. Things were slowly returning to normal at Hogwarts, but their fight still lingered in the backs of everyone's minds. However, they had to put this aside because exams were coming very soon. The Gryffindor common room was relatively quiet as students finished essays or studied.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
It was Tuesday evening. Harry was sitting in one of the chairs by the fireplace that wasn't lit. He looked up at the sound of his name and saw Hermione standing next to him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Listen, I just want to—"  
  
Harry shook his head. "Hermione, the argument we had is nothing compared to what we're going through now, so why let it bother us?"  
  
There was a moment's silence between them.  
  
"That speech you gave, it was great."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"How's Ron?" Harry asked.  
  
"To be honest, I really don't know," Hermione replied. "Madam Pomfrey doesn't think he's going to make it."  
  
Harry bowed his head. He felt bad that Ron was in such bad shape, but there was little he could do about it but wait.  
  
"I have to go and finish my work," Hermione said. "I'll see you later."  
  
"Bye," Harry said.  
  
Okay, so I didn't address Severus' dilemma in this chapter. I'm trying to fill in the gaps in time because I never really laid out the story for Harry's sixth year. This is going to be such a long story. I should do what Enahma did and do a series or something like that. Regents exams start for us this week. If I'm lucky, I'll have another chapter ready when it's over, which is in just over two weeks. I probably won't post again until the end of June. Until then, I wish you all the best, good luck especially to those who also have to take these stupid tests. 


	14. Another Year Over, Another Summer Ahead

Well, the summer is well underway, and I got a JOB!!!! And some things have prevented me from being able to go to the library and post this. But I have had plenty of time to write more in between working and reading 6 books for summer reading. But it's time for me to continue this story.......by the way, would anyone like to have my mom for free??? She's driving me CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J/K. LOL! Mom, if you're reading this, luv ya! Actually, she's one of the few people that know I'm writing this story and it's always good to have a little support than none at all, you know? I have your reviews, but I haven't had the chance to respond to them, but I'll put them into chapter 16, as I'm posting 14 and 15 today. Anyways, on we go!  
  
".....and your exams will take place in the second week of June. All will be held in the Great Hall, and yes, that includes your Potions exam, for those of you in Professor Snape's Advanced Potions classes," Professor McGonagall was saying. Harry was jotting down the dates of his exams as quickly as he could, as the bell was about to ring.  
  
"Make sure you get the times down correctly, unless you'd rather spend another year in this school," she said, just as the bell rang.  
  
Harry grabbed his books and folded up the parchment that had the exam schedule on it. He waited for Hermione so they could walk to the common room together.  
  
"How many do you have to take?" He asked her.  
  
"Just four," she replied. "Thankfully. You?"  
  
"I have to take Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, yada, yada, yada. The usual."  
  
She laughed. "Nice to see you still have your sense of humor."  
  
"Yeah, too bad I don't feel too humorous," Harry said dryly. "I feel like a dead person."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Not your fault." Harry looked at his watch. "I have to go do something, so I'll catch you later?"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"Alright, then. See ya."  
  
Harry made his way through crowds of students heading to dinner, until he reached the third floor, where he made a quick left turn. He didn't want to raise too many suspicions even though he was sure several people knew there was something going on between him and Severus.  
  
He skipped down the stairs three at a time and walked silently through a darkened hallway to the rear of the dungeons, far from the prying eyes of Slytherins. He went through seven rooms until he reached the main Potions hallway and entered the larger classroom.  
  
"Hello, Harry." A voice called from the shadows.  
  
"Severus," Harry responded. Severus stepped into the light.  
  
"So." There was a moment's silence. "You finally decided to show up. I was beginning to think you might have forgotten I existed," Severus said. "Not that I would've been surprised. After all, no one else wants to spend much more time with me than absolutely necessary."  
  
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not like anyone else," Harry said, his voice holding a warning tone.  
  
"Must you always jump to conclusions, Mr. Potter?" Severus walked towards his desk and sat down.  
  
"Only when people start talking comparing me to others and making assumptions about me."  
  
"Who said I was assuming anything about you?" Severus leaned his arms on his desk. Harry sat on a table and started to speak, but was cut off.  
  
"I was merely making a statement based on what I normally see out of people, especially young people with raging hormones such as yourself. As for assuming anything about you, I wasn't, though I have over the years. Can I ask you a question, Mr. Potter?"  
  
"You just did, but go ahead," Harry replied.  
  
"Is it that time of the month?" Severus smirked.  
  
It took Harry a second to recover from shock.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Severus burst out laughing. Harry could feel his face get warm. "Asshole," he muttered.  
  
"Yes, I know," Severus said between laughs.  
  
"And here I was, thinking I would be safe coming down here. I guess I was wrong," Harry said, smiling a little.  
  
"You're never safe. You should know that by now," Severus responded, leaning back in his chair. "You ought to smile more often."  
  
"I would if life didn't have so many miserable parts in it," Harry said. He walked over in front of Severus's desk and sat in one of the class desks.  
  
"Don't let those parts get to you," Severus told him. "And life isn't just misery; there's happiness in it too."  
  
Harry snorted. "Yeah. Where? When?"  
  
Severus shrugged. "You never know. But it comes, and when it does, you shouldn't be so miserable that you miss it or can't enjoy it."  
  
"That must be why children are happier than adults. Their sadness never lasts long."  
  
"That's also because they don't understand life like their elders do. And they're not always happy. Like you and me....." he trailed off. His face was closed for a few minutes, and Harry didn't dare speak until Severus came out from his moment of thought. Harry thought he saw a flicker of pain cross the older man's face, but it was quickly replaced with his usual calm mask.  
  
"You should be studying for your exams," Severus said suddenly. "Before you know it, there won't be any time left to do so."  
  
"Time flies when you're having fun, I guess," Harry said. "Perhaps that's why I like it here so much."  
  
Severus snorted. "Yeah, right."  
  
Harry stood to leave. "Have a peaceful evening."  
  
"And the same to you."  
  
Harry left, leaving Severus to stare at his desk, his mind elsewhere.  
  
'He was right,' Severus thought, 'Time does fly when you're having fun.'  
  
It was the Saturday before exams were set to start. There wasn't a sound in the school, for all the students were studying. It was quieter still, because the memory of the recent battle lurked in the back of everyone's mind.  
  
Professor Dumbledore had yet to find a suitable replacement for teaching Herbology and Head of Hufflepuff House. Also, the staff was short a Quidditch teacher, as well as a professor for Ancient Runes. Thankfully, Professor McGonagall was as equally talented in Ancient Runes as she was in Transfiguration and Animagi.  
  
Severus wandered the halls for several hours before the evening set in. There were a few stragglers here and there, either quizzing one another or engrossed in numerous parchments containing the notes they had taken throughout the year. He rarely saw Harry, not that it was all that surprising. He did see Granger and Weasley quite often, mostly in the library or down in the Great Hall. He suspected Weasley still hadn't bothered speaking to Harry again. Severus knew from experience that the Weasleys were very adamant with their opinions and were rarely quick to admit their wrongs. However, he thought that being Harry's closest friend and supporter for five years would've made Weasley a smarter and better person—unless it was just that Harry was associating with everyone's most hated professor.  
  
Severus sighed. Someday, they would know the truth about him, and that Harry was right. There were a lot of people who seemed to have lost some faith in the Golden Boy because of Severus. It wasn't fair, but then again, what in life is fair?  
  
He found himself in a corridor that was rarely used. There were cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and upper corners of the door frames. There was very little light in this corridor. In fact, the nearest torch was more than four meters down the hall, and it was draped in cobwebs and dust. The hall seemed familiar to him, very familiar. Something about it triggered a faint memory in Severus' mind, of darkness and stale classrooms. And fear. There was that too.  
  
Severus frowned. What could be so great about a dusty old hall in a school that could bring a slight sense of fear? He thought about turning around and heading down to the Hall for supper, but he really wasn't all that hungry. So he kept walking down the corridor, occasionally brushing back loose webs.  
  
Severus was just about to turn and go back when something caught his eye. He stepped forward, towards the door at the far end of the hall. In the faint light, he could barely make out what was left of the writing on it. His blood froze and his breathing became shallow. He could swear the temperature in the hall had dropped significantly.  
  
Arsenius  
  
That was all that could be made out, for the rest was smudged and faded from age. Severus knew what it was supposed to read, but he refused to let himself think of those things. He turned around and walked swiftly out of the corridor, back to the relative warmth of his rooms.  
  
"One more exam to go, one more and I'm done!" Harry said, talking to himself as he walked out of the entrance hall and up the stairs. He was in such a good mood that even Draco Malfoy's taunting couldn't bother him. In fact, he just smiled and walked away, leaving a stunned Malfoy in the Great Hall, staring after him with his mouth hanging open.  
  
Go figure. His last exam was Potions.  
  
'Yeehah,' Harry thought.  
  
"Hey, Harry!"  
  
He turned around on the stairs. The owner of the voice was Ron.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"McGonagall says that Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office before you go upstairs," Ron said, coming up to Harry. "She said it had something to do with your summer arrangements and the Dursleys."  
  
"Great," Harry said. He could feel his happiness ebbing away.  
  
"What the hell did you say to Malfoy?" Ron asked, as they continued up the stairs. He hadn't apologized yet, but he wasn't sure how to put it into words. He shrugged it off mentally, figuring he could say it later. "The look on his face was priceless!"  
  
Harry smiled. "Wasn't it? I didn't say a damn thing to him, though he had some words. I just smiled at him and left him standing there." He looked at Ron. "Did he say anything to you?"  
  
Ron shook his head. "No, but he asked that kid Zabini what drugs you were on, but he just shrugged."  
  
They had reached Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Well, catch you later?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yeah, later," Harry responded, sounding slightly distant. He waited for Ron's footsteps to die away, thinking about what the password might be. He had an idea.  
  
"Strawberry Crunch Bars."  
  
The gargoyle leapt aside to let him in.  
  
He entered Dumbledore's office and found only Severus there. They looked at each other for a moment.  
  
"Are you here for the same reason I am?" Harry asked.  
  
"Probably." Severus grumbled. He was obviously in a sour mood. "Is it about your summer arrangements?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said in a resigned voice, flopping in one of the chairs. Fawkes swooped down to greet him. "Hey, Fawkes," he said quietly, stroking the phoenix's feathers.  
  
The fire glowed green, and a large figure with a long beard stepped out of it.  
  
"Good afternoon, Harry, Severus. Lemon drop?"  
  
Both Harry and Severus shook their heads. Dumbledore sat behind his desk and put his hands together, looking at the two in front of him.  
  
"Harry, you know that you must return to Privet Drive this summer, correct?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said.  
  
"Even though Severus is very much against it, you must go back. You do remember why this is, do you not, Harry?"  
  
"That doesn't mean I have to like it, does it?" Harry asked, looking Dumbledore straight in the eye, defiantly.  
  
"No, it doesn't."  
  
"Good," Harry said, with a touch of an attitude in his voice. "Because I don't."  
  
Severus looked at Harry. The sixteen year-old's jaw was set and his body was slightly tense, as though getting itself ready for something it did not want, but had no control over. He knew that Harry was afraid, but was trying not to let himself think about what was going to happen to him when he returned to Muggle London.  
  
"Severus, do you understand now?"  
  
"Yes, Headmaster, though I don't like it either."  
  
"Rest assured, you two aren't the only ones who don't. But I have no other option right now that would keep Harry safe."  
  
Harry stood suddenly and turned on his heel in a very Severus-like manner, and stalked out of the office.  
  
"I wonder where he learned that," the headmaster said, his twinkling gaze on Severus.  
  
"I wonder," Severus said sarcastically. Then, on a lighter tone as he stood to leave, "Don't let that twinkle fade, Albus, but don't let it cloud your judgment either."  
  
"I won't, Severus."  
  
Harry was walking towards the carriages outside the castle that would bring him to the Hogwarts train alone, somewhat in thought.  
  
"Potter!"  
  
Harry turned. It was Severus.  
  
"A word, please."  
  
Harry walked quickly back to the Hall. Severus led him to a room just off the hall.  
  
"If anything happens—"  
  
"Tell you immediately, I know." Harry looked at him. "But what if I can't?"  
  
Severus looked into Harry's green eyes. What he wouldn't give, to let himself get lost in those eyes, forever.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Harry looked at the floor. He didn't want to leave for the hell that was waiting for him beyond the barrier at King's Cross. But he knew he had to. He just hoped he lived to return to Hogwarts.  
  
Severus lifted Harry's chin so he could look into his eyes, hopefully not for the last time. Harry took hold of Severus' collar and pulled him down to kiss him. He tried to convey his desperation and fear through it, and thought he was successful. Severus held him as close as he could, before he pulled back.  
  
"You have to go," Severus said, his voice slightly hoarse.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said. They walked out of the castle together, but Severus stood on the steps while Harry joined Ron and Hermione. Before climbing into the carriage, Harry looked back at Severus. He gave him a devilish grin and a wink, and snapped his fingers. With a swirl of his robes and a flash of green light, he disappeared into the carriage.  
  
Severus smiled. He was proud of his talented 'apprentice'. He just hoped his magic would save him this summer.  
  
As he turned to re-enter the castle, he felt something in the pocket of his robes. Reaching in, he pulled out a note and a chain with a small emerald orb.  
  
Severus,  
  
I know you'll be worried sick if you don't hear from me this summer, and chances are, you probably won't. I know what's in store for me the second I step into that damned house, but there seems to be no way for me to avoid it. And besides, it's where my mother's blood dwells......anyways, if I'm in absolute life-threatening danger, I can make the orb glow red. It also burns a little when it turns red. I have the same chain, charmed to be invisible so the Dursleys don't know I have it. The only other thing I'm bringing is my wand. Hermione and Ron will have all my other belongings, because it's safer that way.  
  
I'm going to try to work on the mental magics this summer, when I get a moment of peace. Aside from that, I wish you a safe summer, and please, don't worry too much about me. With my luck, I'll live, just not without pain. Love, Harry  
  
Severus took a better look at the orb. It wasn't just green, it was almost transparent, with what seemed to be green clouds swirling inside it. He gripped it, closing his eyes.  
  
I love you, Harry  
  
Don't worry, there's more to come. Besides, I have some explaining to do, because there are some new things in this chapter that pertain to Harry's seventh and final year at Hogwarts.......and of course, I posted chapter 15 for you all to read, and 16 is on it's way. I just have to finish typing it up. I finally got the weekend off from work, so I'm trying to get this story updated and work on my six books of summer reading at the same time. Anyways, R & R! 


	15. Uncle Vernon's Birthday Present for Harr...

Here's 15, as I promised. Some of the characters are OOC, but it's only because that's the way I view them. Read on!  
  
Severus returned from yet another Death Eater meeting. The Dark Lord wasn't spending so much time and energy on Harry this time, which was odd because he was always plotting ways to get Harry killed.  
  
"I don't want him dead anymore," Voldemort said one evening, when Avery questioned his seemingly weakened desire to kill Harry. "I've got other plans for that boy."  
  
'Which was just fine and dandy for him,' Severus thought to himself as he stormed through the castle doors. He was in a particularly nasty mood that night, because he had to feed those rats a serious of bullshit, and now he had to go and tell Dumbledore what he said so they could plan their next move.  
  
After he left the headmaster's office, he made his way to the dungeons in a much slower pace, allowing himself to calm down. The thought of brewing another potion came to mind, as it always had a calming effect on him. Sometimes too calming, as he got so into it that Minerva had often scared the living daylights out of him. She found it quite amusing most of the time, even if the potion became a complete waste of ingredients and water.  
  
He'd reached his office. He didn't even need to use a password, since the office was his. Most of the offices in the school required passwords, even if their owners were trying to get in, but some recognized their owners. The only ones who needed passwords were those who did not occupy these rooms, including the headmaster. Several times in previous years Severus had wondered if the rooms would allow previous owners to enter whenever they felt the need, and it was this thought that made him choose a different room for his office. Just in case.  
  
Now that he was comfortable in his chair, he thought about some of the recent events. Professor Jones had been brutally murdered by Voldemort himself. So now they had to find another DADA teacher. Severus himself had stumbled upon the perfect Quidditch teacher, even though he never seemed the type to want anything to do with the sport. He found that Larius Kendler, an old classmate from Ravenclaw, was already teaching kids how to play the sport, so he brought him to the headmaster, who happily agreed to let him teach. Their replacements for Herbology and Ancient Runes were sisters, Eliza and Beth Vance, both of whom preferred to be called by their first names, as they shared the same surname.  
  
That left the DADA position open. Severus didn't even bother trying to ask for it. He didn't want to this year. The job seemed to be cursed, but then again, maybe some twist of fate would bring the perfect teacher. He had to admit, Lupin was the best they'd had since he himself started.  
  
Severus hoped that it wouldn't be another Death Eater posing as someone else that got the job.  
  
Harry sat in the corner of his room. It was night, sometime around the end of July. It seemed perfect that there would be a break in the beatings around his birthday, which was when things got dramatically worse. For him anyway.  
  
He was covered in bruises and dried blood. His own blood. He was dirty and smelled awful. He was lucky enough to be able to go to the bathroom, but that was only because it was a spare bathroom. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to wash himself, because the Dursleys thought he'd contaminate the shower.  
  
There was a loud thumping noise. "Imbecile! Get your smelly ass in the shower now!"  
  
It was Aunt Petunia. It was obvious that his uncle was out because otherwise she'd never let him get cleaned up.  
  
"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry answered, struggling to get up. Head spinning, he made it to the doorway before he had to stop, leaning against the frame.  
  
His aunt looked at him from down the hall.  
  
"You reek, boy," she commented. "Hurry up, before Vernon and Dudley get back."  
  
Harry nodded, and shifted himself so he could try and walk. Aunt Petunia handed him a washcloth and towel before she closed the bathroom door behind him. He managed to get his filthy clothes off and get into the shower. The warm water stung at his cuts, and it was hard to move because he was so sore. He could barely wash his hair because having his arms raised made him lightheaded. He was halfway through washing when he became so dizzy that he fell to the floor of the shower.  
  
'Great,' he thought, 'Now I'm in for it and she'll never let me shower again.'  
  
He heard the door open. "What was that noise?" His aunt asked.  
  
"It was me, Aunt Petunia," Harry said, miserably. "I got really dizzy and I collapsed. I'm sorry."  
  
She poked her head around the shower curtain and looked down at him.  
  
"I'm really sorry," Harry said, hanging his head.  
  
She turned off the water. Harry looked at her.  
  
"Give me the washcloth." She held out her hand. "I'm going to help you finish, as it's obvious you're not capable of doing it yourself."  
  
She finished washing him and rinsed him off. She gave him the towel to dry off with as she got him some clean clothing. He tried to get dressed, but he was too dizzy and when she helped him, he began to cry.  
  
"I'm sorry for making you do this," Harry said between sobs. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble, I'm sorry."  
  
"Stop saying that," Aunt Petunia said, trying to hold him steady so he wouldn't fall over again. He was shaking so hard that she let him fall into her lap, and she held him until he was done crying. It wasn't until he stopped that she realized that he'd cried himself to sleep.  
  
Half an hour later, she heard the car pull into the driveway.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
He started, then looked at her, eyes wide.  
  
"They're here! You need to get back in your room!" She pulled him up, and together, they made it back to his room. Before she closed his door, he opened his mouth.  
  
"Aunt Petunia?"  
  
She looked at him.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She nodded and closed the door.  
  
The days passed slowly. Harry was surprised that his cousin and uncle were leaving him alone, but he thought they were saving all their energy for his birthday. He had no idea just how much energy, though.  
  
His birthday fell on a Saturday. He had woken up to drizzling rain and dark skies. Even though it was only half past noon, Aunt Petunia had been bustling around in the kitchen for several hours. Since it was a weekend- day, it was perfectly normal for Uncle Vernon and Dudley to sleep rather late, even if it was Harry's birthday.  
  
So Harry just sat there, staring out the window as the skies grew more ominous. He had a horrible feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was given a 'proper birthday,' as his uncle called it.  
  
He heard his uncle moving around in the other room. Harry quickly moved to his usual corner, for his aunt was the only one who knew he looked out the window in the mornings. He listened for his uncles footsteps to near his door.  
  
"You better be up, boy!" Uncle Vernon said, pounding on the door. Then he walked down to his son's room.  
  
"Dudders!"  
  
"What?" Came the grouchy reply.  
  
"Get up, son," Uncle Vernon responded. "We have a birthday to celebrate!"  
  
Harry's heart sank.  
  
A short while later, it was Dudley who yanked him out of his room and into the hallway.  
  
"Why did you wake me up this morning, you stupid, useless moron?" Dudley roared, knowing full well that Harry had done no such thing.  
  
"I-I didn't!" Harry gasped through his cousin's chokehold.  
  
"Did I give you permission to talk, imbecile?" Uncle Vernon growled. To Dudley, he said, "Do with him what you like, son."  
  
Dudley grinned devilishly as he threw Harry into the wall and began kicking him.  
  
Severus was brewing another potion for the Cruciatus Curse. He was in extreme pain and very sore from the previous night's meeting. Everyone had gotten the Cruciatus, just to make sure the Dark Lord still had them all in his control. Of course, the closer and more loyal you were, the less pain you experienced, but pain it was nevertheless. And it hurt like hell on fire.  
  
Not only that, but Severus had a bad feeling about this day, and he wasn't sure why. He knew it was HHHHH Harry's birthday, but that didn't explain why he had such an odd feeling.  
  
Severus ladled his potion into a few vials and stoppered them all, placing them carefully in his cupboard. Turning around, he felt an enormously painful sensation in his ribcage. It was so strong that he had to support himself with the corner of his desk until the pain faded. Then he looked up at the clock.  
  
It was only 1:30.  
  
Severus had a feeling this wouldn't be the only pain he suffered for the day.  
  
At seven that evening, Harry was to be found in the kitchen, trying desperately to make a decent meal. This task was made difficult by the fact that he was becoming dizzier with the blood he was losing. He'd been beaten rather hard the last six or so hours, and knew it wasn't over yet. Especially as he'd just burned the lasagna.  
  
"How dare you burn perfectly good lasagna!" Uncle Vernon roared in his face. "Are you trying to kill us all? You won't live to see us die, you worthless bag of skin and bones!"  
  
With that, he flung Harry across the kitchen. Harry's head just missed the table, but it didn't miss the kick his uncle sent his way. Groaning, Harry rolled over onto his side.  
  
"Get up!"  
  
Harry tried, but he fell over before he got to his knees.  
  
"I said, GET UP!"  
  
Once again, Harry tried, but he could barely move.  
  
"Fine," his uncle said, standing over him. "If you won't get up when I tell you, I'll make you. And give you an incentive to follow my directions when I give them to you!"  
  
He grabbed Harry's arm and yanked him up. Harry yelped in pain and tried to stand, but the only result was him being dragged along by his uncle. Uncle Vernon dragged him up the stairs and into Harry's room, pushing him onto the floor. Harry looked up at him. His uncle's eyes were large and dilated, his face more purple than he'd ever seen it. It was apparent that his uncle had been drinking, perhaps a bit too much.  
  
"Get undressed!"  
  
Harry's blood froze. He couldn't believe this.  
  
"NOW!"  
  
Harry couldn't move for fear and utter disbelief. So his uncle did it for him. Only one word was going through his mind, before he passed out.  
  
NO!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Harry regained consciousness sometime during the night. The house was still and quiet. Harry struggled to put his clothes back on, still in shock. He couldn't believe his uncle had gone that far.  
  
Harry pulled his necklace off and looked at the orb with the moonlight from the window. It was still green, but Harry knew how to make it turn red. Clutching it tightly in his fist, he could feel it get warm, until it felt like it was burning.  
  
At least Severus would know he needed help. Harry passed out again.  
  
Severus felt the orb on his necklace begin to get warm, but he was half asleep and thought little of it. That is, until it started to burn nearly as bad as his Mark. He sat bolt upright in his bed, pulling the necklace from his neck hurriedly. When he saw that it was blood-red, his heart nearly stopped.  
  
He jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. He didn't bother with robes, as he knew it would be too hot where he was going. So he left Hogwarts in a long T-shirt and jeans. He ran to Hogsmeade, where he Apparated to Harry's door.  
  
A simple unlocking charm opened the front door. He thought it was luck that the house was so quiet, but he was immediately corrected.  
  
"Who are you?" Asked a voice from behind him, as he set a foot on the stairs. He turned around slowly  
  
"What business is that of yours?" Severus asked quietly.  
  
"If you're here to take that imbecile, you can't have him." A man, obviously Harry's uncle, said.  
  
"And why, dare I ask, can't I?" Severus asked, his voice deadly.  
  
"Because he's mine." Uncle Vernon said, with a sick smile on his face.  
  
A quick surface scan of Vernon's mind gave Severus all the information he needed, and a greater desire to get Harry the hell out of there.  
  
"Over my dead body—not that you could kill me," Severus hissed, and went up the stairs. With surprising speed for a person so large, Vernon blocked Harry's door.  
  
"Move aside, Dursley," Severus said, drawing his wand. "Unless you'd like to be on the receiving end of some very painful magic."  
  
Vernon didn't move. With a flick of his wrist, Severus sent him into the opposite wall. Then he opened the door to Harry's room, gasping at what he saw.  
  
Harry woke suddenly, having heard a loud crash just outside his room. Hearing his door open, he raised his head.  
  
"Severus!" He cried out, his voice hoarse.  
  
"Oh. My. God." Severus said, shocked beyond anything he'd ever experienced. Harry was, well, Harry was in a mess. He was a mess.  
  
Severus walked over to him. "What the hell have they done to you?"  
  
Harry shook his head.  
  
"Just get me out of here. Please."  
  
I think I've been reading too many horror books......sorry to make Harry go through that, but it was in the original storyline. Anyway, there's more to come, don't worry. As always, feedback is more than welcome (I tell you, I have no life!), and I'll try to get 16 and 17 up as soon as work will let me. 


	16. Surprise Surprise

Yes, it's been a VERY long time, but I think I should answer some of these reviews...

**LoveOfTheMoon: **Yeah, that's what I thought too, but I had to put something out to move time along. Things just come randomly into my head as I try to fill in these gaps between the major events. Sorry 'bout that!  
**HecateDeMort: **I tell quite a few people to go f themselves on a daily basis! It can be very enjoyable!  
**Starangel2106: **Yeah, I got pretty good results on the exams, but I was never told how I did on the Math B…….wonder if it's like that everywhere and not just me. Oh well, in a few weeks, I can find out. It's creepy when you find your old math teacher at the place you work though (shudders)….but anyways, thanx!  
**Savage Amazon: **I know, I've made you wait ages for me to update.  
**Read300300: **Thanx!  
**Celestialbeingoffire: **It sorta is an extension, but I've found that it's easier to write it like this than it would be if I'd kept Harry with his sisters. If I hadn't changed that, I prolly wouldn't've even made it to Chapter 12.

And just for the record, there is not one ounce of plagiarism in this story. Nada, zip, zero, zilch, niente. Nothing. If it looks like it, then it's nothing more than mere coincidence. What happens here is what's going on in my own brain for this story. Don't like it, don't read it. I'm sure no one held you at gunpoint and made you click on the link to my story. Otherwise, deal with it. I'm not trying to be a bitch or anything, but I don't take too well at being accused of something that I haven't done.

It took over a week for Harry's wounds to fully heal from his experience at the Dursley's. He became a lot happier as well, but he was still reclusive. Once again, he avoided physical contact. He didn't want to get into things like that before he was ready.

In the middle of August, Severus took him to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies. It didn't take very long, as Harry only needed a few books and enough ingredients to refill his stock for potions. Afterwards, they got ice cream and returned to the castle.

"Did you ever get the chance to practice your mental magic?" Severus asked him, a week before the Start of Term Feast.

Harry looked up from his copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7_.

"Not really," he said. "I spent too much of my mental energy fighting a never-ending dizzy spell that threatened to put me into a coma."

"That's too bad," Severus said. "I was kind of hoping you might've had at least a little time between 'things' to work on it."

Harry thought for a moment.

"Actually, I did have time—shortly before my birthday. There were a few days, maybe a week, of relative peace. But I was so tired and worn down that I could barely stay awake for longer than fifteen or twenty minutes."

Severus nodded. He knew what that was like, having been there before.

"But maybe now that I'm away from all that, I can start to work on it," Harry said. "But first, I have some homework to get out of the way before I get a couple of months' worth of detentions."

Severus smiled, and both returned to their work.

Harry spent over a week writing his essays for classes. He was mentally exhausted when he finally finished his last essay, which was for Professor McGonagall.

"Thank God that's done with," he said, stretching as far back as his chair would let him. Looking out the window, he saw the giant squid turn over in the lake and spread its tentacles out like a star with many points.

There were three days left of the summer holiday to go, yet it seemed like it was just yesterday that Severus had rescued him from the Dursleys. He really didn't mind it, actually. He liked to keep busy so he could keep his mind off of things. When he wasn't doing his homework, he read a book from the library, mostly about the history of charmed ones. It was rather interesting. He never would've guessed that they went back just as far as witches and wizards, if not further. He wanted to talk to the headmaster about it all, but he wasn't in the mood to talk to Dumbledore. He vaguely wondered if he could even maintain a civil enough tone with the man.

He knew Dumbledore meant well, that he only wanted to keep Harry safe. How would he know that Harry was in more danger with Uncle Vernon around than he was with Voldemort? Harry could hardly expect Dumbledore to know anything of what went on beyond the pristine lawn and intricately designed front door of Number 4, Privet Drive. But Harry had reached a point where he wasn't sure if he could count on the old man's decisions anymore. He knew that he didn't care either way, as he was sick and tired of having to defend the entire world, Muggle and wizard alike. Especially after Sirius had died in the Department of Mysteries. He could remember his anger clearly.

"_I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!"_

It was several years of pent-up frustration that was waiting anxiously, painfully, to be released. And seeing Dumbledore so calm and yet so vulnerable only angered Harry further, even after he found he could no longer vent his outrage in a physical manner. But there was something he'd forgotten, until now…

"…you can still call home…where your mother's blood dwells….you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort…"

But Voldemort used Harry's blood to resurrect himself in the graveyard two years ago. That meant he also had Harry's mother's protection flowing through his veins. So how did that keep him from breaching the security put into place at the Dursleys and doing away with Harry?

"…_he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not…either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…"_

The whole thing was just ridiculous. His destiny was mapped out long before he was even born, and he had absolutely no control over the whole damn thing! Not to mention that he was too young to have to fight for his own life, let alone the lives of millions of people.

And just how exactly was Harry supposed to defeat the Dark Lord? Harry only had six years of magical knowledge under his belt, accompanied by the powers he still wasn't used quite to, piss poor Occlumency skills, and less than five years of scattered defensive training. Voldemort had spent years researching magic and the many properties it held, and was an expert at all that inflicted torture and death.

Harry sighed, and looked out the window again. The sun had long set, and the moon was half covered by thin clouds. He put the matter aside in his mind and gathered his Transfiguration essay and book. It was time to get some sleep.

He could only pray that this year would be a quiet one.

The morning of September first was dark and eerily quiet. With the exception of a chilly breeze, nothing stirred on Hogwarts' grounds. The clouds were ominously dark, their tops spiking high into the upper atmosphere. And it was foggy.

"Here goes yet another rainy first day back to school," Harry muttered to himself. He was leaning up against a tree near the Forbidden Forest, just taking it all in. Not that there was a whole lot to get lost in.

"Same shit, different year, I supposed," Harry muttered, to no one in particular. He slid down the trunk of the tree until he was in a sitting position with his knees up to his chin. He had over nine hours to waste away before the Start of Term Feast would begin for his last year of school.

He wondered who the new DADA professor would be. Apparently Professor Jones had been murdered during a visit to Hogsmeade just after term ended. He was sure that Dumbledore's choices for that position were very few. There were three other positions that needed filling as well; those of Ancient Runes, Herbology and Head of Hufflepuff House, and Quidditch teacher. The headmaster had a better chance of hiring someone to fill any of those positions than that of DADA.

Morning ended and it became well into the afternoon, but one wouldn't know it by the looks of the sky. The clouds had darkened, the wind had picked up, and one could see flashes of lightning and hear faint rumbles of thunder in the distance.

Some time later, Harry looked at his watch. It was 23:12. He got up and started walking back towards the castle, wondering vaguely what the rest of the students were doing on the Hogwarts Express.

Severus watched the sky through an open window deep into the second floor corridor. Hardly anyone ever wandered through here, perhaps because very few people knew or bothered to know about it. For that, he was glad, for it meant that he could be alone with his thoughts.

He sat there, gazing out on the grounds for several hours. The fog lingered throughout the afternoon, making it even harder to see as the clouds darkened. He could hear thunder somewhere in the distance, but he couldn't see any lightning from where he was. He knew Harry was out there somewhere, though he couldn't see him either. He wondered how upset Harry was at Albus. Neither of them had seen the headmaster the entire time Harry had been in the castle. Severus didn't even know if he knew about Harry, but figured he probably did and had too many other things going on. It had been a quiet summer, without so much as a rumor from Voldemort or his followers. Severus had only been Summoned to one meeting so far, and that was some time in July. He had been quite relieved to hear Voldemort say he didn't want to kill Harry yet. Severus had been having difficulty in concocting a plan that would enable him to "kill" Harry and not expose him as a spy. All the same, Albus had been keeping an ear out for anything suspicious, and the Order continued to stay alert, in case Voldemort decided to act without warning. Still, there had been nothing. Just peace and quiet.

It had been a strangely quiet day, even with the wind blowing as it did. Everything about it had been strange, right down to the porridge Severus had attempted to eat for breakfast. He'd woken with a twisted feeling in his gut and hadn't been able to get rid of it. He figured it had something to do with the weather and put it aside.

He heard the bells of the clock. 23:30. He stood and closed the window, but not before noticing that the wind had died completely. He frowned.

"_Come on!"_ he berated himself, _"There's probably a storm on its way. Get a damn grip!"_

He strode down the hall in the direction of the dungeons. He needed to get ready for the Feast. Perhaps he might find something to ease his stomach.

Harry waited in one of the Charms classrooms. He watched as the students got out of the carriages and trudged up the path to the castle. He saw Hagrid leading the first years across the lake. Harry wondered briefly why the first years had to be brought across the lake, besides to keep them separate from the rest for the Sorting. Deciding he would think about it later, he left the classroom and made his way down to the Great Hall before the last of the students arrived.

"Harry!" It was Hermione. She looked slightly windblown, despite the fact that the wind was no longer blowing. Ron was behind her, and when he saw Harry, he grinned.

"Hey, guys," Harry said. "How was the ride?"

"Dark and gloomy," Ron answered. "Malfoy came in to ask where you were and why you weren't on the train. He wasn't to cocky when he found that you'd gotten here already."

"We heard him as he left the compartment," Hermione said, as they walked into the Hall to take their seats. "He was telling Crabbe that he wished he could've gotten to come to school before everyone else, to get away from his mother."

"Well, I guess you can't have everything you want, can you?" Harry said. Hermione smiled and Ron nodded.

All three watched as Professor McGonagall brought the stool and the Sorting Hat out. The first years wore the usual mix of expressions and they stood in a huddled mass before the Hat. After a few moments of silence, the hat began to sing.

_There was a time so very long ago,_

_There were four who stood strong and proud._

_Together they built a magic school,_

_And taught as much as their skills allowed._

_Each wanted to choose their pupils,_

_And so it came to be,_

_Students were split between the four,_

_The consequences the founders did not see._

_Gryffindor chose those with courage,_

_Gentility and valor at heart._

_To Slytherin went those with the purest of pure blood_

_And devious ways that set them apart._

_Ravenclaw took those eager to learn,_

_With quick wit and intelligence._

_Sweet Hufflepuff took the rest,_

_And taught each without difference._

_This continued for quite some time,_

_Then discord began and it wasn't long before,_

_Slytherin packed his bags and left;_

_The friends were four no more._

_Those years have long passed,_

_Bound I am to divide you all,_

_Yet I fear what I must do_

_Will someday lead us to our fall._

_Listen now, and never forget,_

_Don't brush my words away,_

_Understand what's at stake, for_

_If you don't, there will come a day_

_War will come inside and_

_Turn friend into foe,_

_Each will be alone,_

_Who to trust, no one'll know._

_Remember what I have said,_

_Heed my warning._

_I've said and done all I can,_

_Now let's begin the Sorting._

"Another warning," Harry commented, looking at Ron and Hermione. "What could it be this time? Besides the normal dangers?"

"Who knows?" Ron said, looking warily at the hat as Benjamin Crosby was sorted into Hufflepuff. There was a rumble of thunder from outside, indicating that the storm had arrived.

Hermione exchanged a look with Harry. Both knew that Ron hadn't caught the meaning behind Harry's comment, and Harry knew Hermione was the only one who understood the Sorting Hat's song like he did. He started to get a strange feeling that something wasn't right, a feeling that he couldn't seem to shake. But he stayed quiet, not wanting to share what he was feeling or thinking, and they watched the Sorting in silence. When it was done, Dumbledore stood up.

"While I do have some announcements I would like to share, I realize that you are all dying to indulge in some fantastic food, as I most certainly am. So, I beg you, EAT!"

The students cheered and dove right in as soon as the food appeared in front of them. At the Gryffindor table, everyone served themselves great heaps of food, while Harry piled enough onto his plate to make it look as though he was eating. No one seemed to notice that he was doing little more than nibbling, which was just fine with him. He listened to the others talk about their summers, occasionally making a comment. He was anxious for the Feast to end and his bad feeling to vanish. Before long, the headmaster stood again, and the Hall became silent. Lightning flashed, throwing shadows across the walls.

"As you all should know by now, the Forbidden Forest at the edge of grounds is, as mentioned, forbidden," Dumbledore's twinkling blue gaze flicked in Harry's direction before continuing. "Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked to remind you all that magic is not allowed in the corridors, as well as a long list of other things, which can be viewed at the door of his office."

"You may have noticed that there are some new faces among the staff this year. First, I would like to introduce Professor Eliza Vance, who will be filling the posts of Herbology and Head of Hufflepuff House."

Eliza stood and bowed as the students applauded her. She resumed her seat.

"Second, Eliza's sister, Beth Vance will be taking over as our Ancient Runes professor. Both her and Eliza have requested that you call them by their first names, as they share surnames."

More applause. "That's great!" Hermione said, smiling. "That means McGonagall won't have to cram two subjects at once into her schedule."

"Although I'm sure she could handle it just fine," Harry said, as another flash of lightning illuminated the hall.

"Third, I am proud to say that Larius Krendler will be replacing Madam Hooch as our Quidditch professor."

Some more applause, much more enthusiastically this time, for most of the students knew Professor Krendler from his reputation as an expert of Quidditch.

"Finally, I must say, it has been rather difficult to find a teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position this term. I'm beginning to think that they've turned themselves into Implottables…" There was scattered laughter at this, as Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Fortunately, I managed to find someone at the last minute who was more than happy to return to Hogwarts for yet another teaching post. May I introduce, Professor Arsenius Anastasius Snape!"

"Oh, no," Harry moaned. He couldn't believe his ears, or that he hadn't noticed the man sitting on Dumbledore's left the entire time. "This can't be…"

When the Sorting Hat finished its song, Severus reflected over the words. Yes, there was a clear warning in it, almost the same warning the hat had given the school two years previously. However, the song in no way eased the sensation in his gut. If anything, it made his stomach twist even more. On top of that, there was thunder and lightning from outside. O yes, the storm was definitely there.

He tried to eat, but found he could only nibble. Not that he ever ate much to begin with, but he knew he was hungry. He just couldn't bring himself to eat more than a few bites without wanting to become violently ill. Which was why he was extremely grateful when Albus finally stood and began his announcements.

"As you all should know by now, the Forbidden Forest at the edge of grounds is, as mentioned, forbidden," Dumbledore paused before continuing. "Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked to remind you all that magic is not allowed in the corridors, as well as a long list of other things, which can be viewed at the door of his office."

"You may have noticed that there are some new faces among the staff this year. First, I would like to introduce Professor Eliza Vance, who will be filling the posts of Herbology and Head of Hufflepuff House."

The aforementioned stood and bowed to her applause before sitting down again.

"Second, Eliza's sister, Beth Vance will be taking over as our Ancient Runes professor. Both her and Eliza have requested that you call them by their first names, as they share surnames." Applause. "Third, I am proud to say that Larius Krendler will be replacing Madam Hooch as our Quidditch professor." More enthusiastic applause, followed by more illuminating lightning. "Finally, I must say, it has been rather difficult to find a teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position this term. I'm beginning to think that they've turned themselves into Implottables…" Some people laughed at this. Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Fortunately, I managed to find someone at the last minute who was more than happy to return to Hogwarts for yet another teaching post. May I introduce, Professor Arsenius Anastasius Snape!"

Severus froze, his eyes gazing unfocused at his goblet. There was only one thing, one word, in his mind at that moment.

'_NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'_

Well, it's been…..how long? Add a week to that list because the server at school was down all last week…we got a wireless network set up for our district and it fails every so ofter….

And I have updated for all of you loyal readers. I will freely admit, I am a procrastinator, not to mention extremely lazy these days. But I've answered your wishes for more…..but I'm not done yet!


	17. The Former Potions Master Returns

There was dead silence throughout the Hall. One could hear a pin drop if there was one. The students were in complete shock. There was a loud crash of thunder, so loud it vibrated through the castle and caused everyone inside to jump.

Hermione was the first to notice Harry's expression. "Harry? What is it?" She asked.

But Harry wasn't listening. He was looking at Severus, who'd frozen to his seat.

"Another Snape?" Ron whispered, his eyes wide. "What could possibly be worse?" He and Hermione looked at Harry. Harry's face was white and he looked horrified. A memory surfaced from the depths of his mind.

_Harry was reading an excerpt from an old copy of the _Daily Prophet_. It was about some breakthrough in the field of Potions. Skimming through it quickly, a name popped out at him._

"_Severus?"_

_Severus looked up from his cauldron. "Yes?"_

"_Who's Arsenius Anastasius Snape?"_

_Severus' expression turned to stone. "Someone I pray you will never know, Harry" he said shortly, letting his gaze drop back to his potion._

That conversation had taken place over the summer, and though Harry let the subject hang in the air, he knew how much the name affected Severus. And now, he could only imagine what the man was thinking. He watched as Arsenius leaned back and turned to Severus.

"It's good to see you again, _Severus."_ He said, letting Severus' name roll off his tongue slowly and deliberately. Everyone was watching them at this point.

Severus turned to look at Arsenius and their eyes locked.

"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?" Arsenius asked.

It was several minutes before Severus broke the eye contact. He stood up so quickly that his chair made a loud scraping noise, and he all but ran out of the silent hall.

A few seconds later, Harry also stood up. Without a word, he bolted out of the hall after Severus.

Severus was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. There was just no other explanation for this nightmare.

"It's good to see you again, _Severus."_ HIS voice. _Oh, God, it's not a dream. It's a living fucking nightmare._

Severus' hands clenched the edge of the table in front of him. Turning his head slowly, he met Arsenius' gaze from behind the headmaster.

"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?" Arsenius remarked.

Unable to break the eye contact, Severus' mind fills with images he thought he'd long buried.

"_You're nothing!" Arsenius screamed at him after class. " Absolutely nothing!" He hit Severus so hard that his head kept moving and hit the storage cabinet, leaving a bloody gash on the side of his head……another screaming fit, this time Arsenius threw Severus down the stairs in the Main Hall, where he landed, unconscious, in front of everyone……Arsenius knocking him to the floor and pinning him so he couldn't move. "Go ahead and cry!" Arsenius raged madly. "Come on, CRY! Cry, because it doesn't fucking matter! You and I are the only ones who'll hear you! CRY!"_

Severus tore his eyes away from Arsenius' and stood, causing his chair to scrape the floor. Without warning, he almost ran out of the hall.

He made it as far as the stairs before he collapsed, his head in his hands.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and Harry came running over to him. "Severus!" He reached out to touch him, but Severus pushed his hand away and stood up again so quickly that Harry jumped back. Severus walked away from Harry, down the stairs to the dungeons, and was gone before Harry could say a word.

Harry heard Dumbledore tell the students to go on up to their dormitories. He could tell the man was trying to be cheerful, but his voice faltered in mid-sentence.

Either way, Harry didn't want to be found standing in the middle of the Main Hall when the rest of the school emerged from behind those doors. So he followed Severus down the stairs and into the dark corridor.

And it was dark. The torches hadn't been lit, and everywhere Harry looked was nothing but blackness. He considered himself very lucky to know where he was going, so he let his hand trail along the stone wall as he walked along. It took him almost ten minutes to reach the Potions classrooms.

The torches weren't lit here either, not that it surprised Harry, because Severus usually preferred his surroundings to be dark. One glance towards the office told Harry that Severus was in it. The door was slightly ajar, and movement could be heard, however faint it was, from inside. Harry made his way over to the door. He still couldn't see much beside his own shadow.

"You may as well come in all the way, Harry," Severus' voice emerged from the depths of his office. "As I'm sure you'd rather not remain a shadow on my floor."

Harry slid through the space between the door and its casing, felt around for a chair, and settled himself in it.

"Did you lock the classroom door behind you?"

"Mm-hm."

They were silent for a few moments.

"I apologize for startling you, Harry," the Potions Master said quietly. Harry shook his head, though he knew the man couldn't see.

"What you did was only a reflex. I would've done the same thing." Harry responded. "Besides, I should've known better than to try to touch you while you were in that state of mind."

"I can't believe Albus," Severus said, with a hint of anger in his soft voice.

"He knew about Arsenius' violent behavior, right?"

"Of course he knew, but that's not the point."

Harry thought for a minute. "Do you think he's changed at all?"

Severus was quiet. "No," he said. "He hasn't changed at all since I last saw him."

"How can you tell?" Harry asked.

"The tone of voice and the look in his eyes," came the swift answer.

"Great," Harry muttered. "Just what the doctor fuckin ordered."

Severus made a noise of agreement, before both lapsed into complete silence.

When Severus woke up the following morning, he didn't want to leave his rooms. Sure, he wouldn't mind not having to teach, but he knew it would look suspicious if he didn't show for classes, especially after what had happened the night before.

He was very grateful that he wasn't expected to attend breakfast. He dressed and headed down to his office. Looking at the clock in the classroom as he walked through, he only had twenty minutes to prepare for his first class. Not that he could remember which group he was destined to torture first. One glance at his roster told him it would be the seventh year NEWT class, followed by those first year brats. His NEWT class consisted of ten students, including Neville Longbottom, who had made some major improvement over the last year.

He sat in his chair and let his mind slip back a few decades. He could remember the days clearly. Potions was held in the last classroom of this corridor. He always sat in the back row, because he knew the Potions Master at the time wouldn't bother him unless he made some mistake or other. He had no friends, except perhaps Lucius, but that changed years ago. There was only one person who bothered to talk to him, and Severus didn't have the slightest idea what had happened to her.

Her name was Ari. Ari Potter. She was related to James, of course, but she didn't share his prejudices. She was the only Slytherin that James liked. He never hated her for being sorted into the "House of all evil." Then again, how could anyone hate Ari? She was too nice for that.

When Severus was in Hogwarts, Ari was the one who was there when he needed someone the most. She alone understood him and his pain, having been there herself. She did all she could to protect him, but when the Potions Master got rolling, there was no stopping him.

He never understood why he received the brunt of the Potions Master's cruelty. Severus figured that he was supposed to be the model Dark-loving Slytherin child, the future Death Eater, perfect in every area. If there was so much as one flaw, the world stopped turning. When Severus left Hogwarts, he was more than happy to put those memories away forever.

But Arsenius was here, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

The bell rang for classes to begin, jolting him out of his thoughts. He heard the seventh years enter the classroom and left his office. After taking attendance, he flicked his wand at the board.

"Potion's on the board. Get to work."

The class finished the potion and had the tables cleaned well before the bell would ring. Severus was surprised at this, but he had a feeling that they had intended to finish early for another reason. He was right.

"Professor Snape?"

He finished grading the last vial, closed his book and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"I-well, we were wondering..." she trailed off. From the next table, Harry balled up a strip of parchment and threw it at her. Severus watched as Harry also shot her a warning look, at which she shook her head.

"What is it you're wondering, Ms. Granger?" Severus was patient; there was over a half hour left of class after all.

"We were wondering, what happened last night?" Hermione asked quickly, looking at Harry and then Severus. Severus noticed that Harry seemed very interested in his desk.

"What difference does it make, what happened last night?" Severus returned calmly. Hermione's face reddened slightly.

"Why don't we put it like this," Harry began, with an attitude, "What's said and done in this room stays in this room. Absolutely NO exceptions. Got it?"

The rest of the class muttered their agreement. "Good. I'm holding every one of you to that," Harry said. He pulled out his wand and muttered a string of what sounded like complex spells on the room.

Severus' eyebrows were raised when Harry finally set his wand down in front of him and resumed interest in his desk.

"Can I ask a question?" Setarina Evanis asked softly.

"That depends," Severus answered. "Can you?" She smiled. "Go on."

"Who is he to you?" She asked. "I mean, if this even applies, which I'm sure it does, how is he related to you?"

Severus paused, his mind racing. He had no idea what he wanted to tell them, or if he even should. But if he shouldn't, Harry wouldn't have bothered putting all those spells on the room. Looking up, he caught Harry's eyes. This wasn't the boy's idea at all, but Severus knew he'd do everything in his power to make sure that what went on in this room stayed in this room.

"He was the Potions Master when I was here as a student," Severus began, looking every student in the eye. "He was a very strict professor, very anal, right down to the level of your arm as you stirred your cauldron. He made sure you knew exactly what you were doing and how to do it the right way." He paused, letting his gaze fall on Harry. "Your father despised him to no end, not because Arsenius was the Potions Master, but because of what he'd done to your father." Harry frowned. "I'll get to that in a moment, however."

"Arsenius was very clear about his expectations of a person, no matter what kind of blood they had. He pushed students beyond their abilities, towards a goal he saw for them that they, more often than not, could never reach. But he was also a very cruel man. If even the smallest thing went wrong, if you made the most insignificant flaw, you were punished as if you had committed a heinous crime. He fed on fear and emotions. He made sure you knew what was wrong and made you turn it right."

"Your father's older sister, Lora, was essentially the perfect student, especially in Potions. Somehow she became Arsenius' favorite, and the few times she did make a mistake, he only mentioned it to her. When she finished here, he had James, and expected him to be just like her. James, however, was gifted in Transfiguration and Charms, not Potions. No matter how hard he tried, or wanted, to be good, he couldn't master the art. Anyways, when we were in our fifth year, we took our OWL's, and unfortunately for us, Arsenius was overseeing the Potions practical. James' potion was perfect, which was enough of a shock for him. Arsenius was strolling between the tables, checking our progress, and stopped near James. James didn't realize he was there, as he was carefully adding an ingredient to his cauldron. Upon seeing Arsenius out of the corner of his eye, James jumped and ended up dumping the rest of the ingredient in at once. Not only did his potion explode, but Arsenius grabbed James by the arm and threw him across the room so hard that the storage cabinet fell over him. He was covered in glass shards and various ingredients that were not meant to come into contact with one another."

"The rest of us watched in awe as Arsenius strode over to James, grabbed him by his hair and physically dragged him out of the room, all the while screaming that he was nothing but a worthless piece of scum, incapable of so much as tying his shoelaces."

"The next time we saw James, he had bruises everywhere and had refused to tell Professor Dumbledore what had happened to him, blaming it all on the explosion of his potion. Somehow, James scraped by with enough OWL's to get into the NEWT class. On the first day of class, Arsenius got on him again for not holding his arm at zero degrees while adding essence of ershwood, and James punched him in the face, cursed him a few times, and walked out of the classroom. The rest of us had to deal with the aftermath, which was not pretty."

"Damn," Harry said quietly. Severus nodded.

"If you'd been there, you would think you were trapped in a prison cell."

"What about you?" Lileana asked. "Did he treat you better?"

Severus laughed harshly. "Treat me better? He'd no sooner treat me better than the Dark Lord become a Muggle's best friend! No, he treated me worse than anyone, even James. I was the one who was expected to be perfect at EVERYthing, and that included living. If I so much as breathed crooked, he flipped out, and I would find myself on the floor, trying to remember why I was there. I couldn't move without his permission, couldn't talk, eat, drink, sleep, nothing. The only things I could do were attend class, homework, and make sure I got perfect marks. And in class, if it wasn't James or another student getting harassed about their potion, it was always me. He used me to show the class how not to do something, and then he would make me start all over again until I did it the way he wanted me to. He made my life a living hell, and no one, not even Professor Dumbledore, could stop him from doing what he wanted."

The entire class was hanging on to everything Severus was saying. The room was completely silent.

"But..."

Severus looked up. "Yes, Harry?"

Harry looked at him. "But why you?"

Severus locked eyes with Harry. Suddenly, he realized something: he hadn't told Harry anything other than that Arsenius was someone he didn't want to know.

"Why me? Harry, I've been asking myself that question my entire life." Severus could see Harry trying to figure out that statement, but he knew that Harry wouldn't want to accept that answer until it came out of his own mouth.

"That doesn't answer my question," Harry said.

"But it does! You just don't want to accept it, and I don't blame you. Ms. Granger, have you figured it out?"

She shook her head. "Anyone?" They all shook their heads. Harry frowned at Severus.

"Harry, I know you spent most of last year reading the Potions texts. Tell me, how old were you when Arsenius left his position here?"

"Just over the age of one," Harry responded.

"When did I start?" The class was watching them go back and forth.

"September, before the attack. But how does that?"

"Don't you think it's a bit odd, that I would begin teaching here so soon after he left?" Severus was trying to make Harry see, because Harry was the only one who could understand. But Harry just shook his head. Severus sighed.

"What's my first name? And don't you dare say Severus, because it's wrong," he barked.

Harry thought for a moment, chewing on his lip in frustration. "Anastasius," he said.

"And his middle names?"

Severus could see the realization dawn on Harry before he spoke. "Anastasius Severus." He looked at Severus. "You were named after him."

"Anything else?" Harry shook his head. Severus could tell there was more, however. "Liar." Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Severus waved him off. "The bell's going to ringthere it is, class dismissed." He stood and turned toward his office.

"Answer the question first!" Harry said.

Severus turned slowly and met the gaze of every student. His jaw was set and a deadly glare was in his eyes.

"Fine. But keep this in mind: I've shared this with you all so that you know what to expect when you enter his classroom. Be careful what you say, do, and how you speak and act. Also, be careful what you say about me, because there's no one willing to take my place if he decides to kill me"

"And why would he want to do that?" Harry interrupted him.

"Because he thinks he has the right. Only one who creates something has the right to destroy it, Harry. Besides, I haven't completely fulfilled his goalshe doesn't know where my loyalties truly lie."

"But he can't just make you become something you aren't just because he wants you to," Setarina said.

"He can do that, and much more. It would be easier, because his blood runs through me, and in many ways, I am a lot like him. Which is why you all must be careful, especially you, Harry."

"What else is new?" Harry muttered. "But why?"

"He has his ways of detecting one's vulnerability, and yours are similar to mine. It doesn't help that you went after me at the Feast either...he knows that we've developed a friendship. Soon he will see that you, Setarina, and Lileana share a connection, and all three of you will need to be careful."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Lileana asked.

"You could end up like me, or if you're lucky, dead." Severus was getting worried the more he thought about what might happen while Arsenius was teaching in the same building as him and several hundred innocent students.

"You still haven't"

"I'm aware of that, Harry."

"Then why are you putting it off?" Harry was getting more frustrated, and nervous.

"Would you want to admit that" Severus broke off, staring at the wall.

"Come on, tell us and get it over with," Harry said, as gently as he could manage.

Severus locked eyes with Harry once again.

"He's my father."

Damn, two chappies in one day! 9 hours, actually, as it's almost 1AM for me. And because I've been staring at my monitor since I got up yesterday morning, I need to shower and get some sleep so I can get outta my house later! Cuz I really don't feel like spending my entire vacation in my room. If I get creative, I'll be sure to write up the next chapter after I've reenergized. TTFN!


	18. Detention with Professor Snape

Moving onward….

"_He's my father."_

Severus' words echoed in Harry's mind long after they had been uttered. Harry had listened to the man's story with the rest of the class, but there had been hints dropped all over it that should have told him what he'd wanted to know. When Severus had asked Harry about the time difference between Arsenius leaving and him starting, Harry had become frustrated. He didn't see how that had anything to do with who Arsenius was to Severus. But when he was asked about the connection between the two names, his stomach had flipped over. His mind raced through Severus' story as he was warning Harry's classmates to be careful, and he found something that stood out more than anything else the man had said.

"_He made my life a living hell…"_

Harry'd heard that line before…

"_It was my father…I wasn't anything he wanted me to be, so he made my life a living hell far beyond words."_

And when Harry had asked Severus about Arsenius, the man's expression became cold and rigid…

"_Someone I pray you will never know, Harry."_

The answer was clear to him at that moment, but he refused to accept it. It wasn't a fact until Severus confirmed it, as far as Harry was concerned.

But it was true. Harry could understand why Severus was so unnerved by his father's return to Hogwarts. Severus was desperate to warn all he could about Arsenius, to make them cautious, and if at all possible, protect them.

Fortunately, the seventh years didn't have DADA until the following day. Those who'd been in Monday's Potions class were quiet as they settled into their desks. Harry sat as close to the door as he could without being all the way in the back. Seamus and Lileana were on his left, Hermione and Ron were in the back row right behind him and Setarina, and Dean and Neville sat in front of him. It wasn't a planned arrangement, but it was designed to provide a level of comfort and protection, just in case. They had every intention of heeding Severus' warning, especially where Setarina and Lileana were concerned. Each prayed that they wouldn't have any problems.

Arsenius came out of his office just as the bell rang. He walked over to his desk and took attendance before addressing the class.

"Good morning," he began. "I am Professor Arsenius Snape, as the headmaster told you the other night. I will be teaching this class until further notice, and I hope to provide you all with the skills you need once you've completed your last year here."

He continued for about ten minutes, allowing Harry to pull himself away from the man's words. He had a way of speaking that pulled you in and made you listen. It was almost like having a chain attached to your mind that was forcing you to move closer.

Harry took a good look at Arsenius. He noticed the similarities Severus shared with his father everywhere. Both had essentially the same facial features, except Arsenius' face was more yellow and not quite as thin as Severus'. Arsenius' eyes were black and emotionless, and his hair was exactly like Severus'. Both were tall and thin and had the same predatory walk.

When Arsenius finished his speech he had them go over all that they had learned since first year. He was surprised at how much they had jumped around, having had only one teacher who was able to teach them properly.

"Remus Lupin," Arsenius said reflectively. "I remember him well. He was an excellent student, very focused, and very talented."

The class told him about Umbridge and Jones, and his face wrinkled in disgust. They also told him how they learned the spells anyways, without mentioning the DA itself.

"I don't blame you for going out on your own and learning how to defend yourselves with that toad you had," he said. "And as far as Jones, she knew what she was doing. I say you're all going to need to fill those gaps from the second and fifth years, as well as this year's curriculum."

They took notes, and he assigned them practical homework for the night. All in all, the class wasn't bad, but Harry was extremely relieved when it was over.

September went by without occurrence, unless you count Ron accidentally turning himself into a chameleon during Charms when he was supposed to be charming a tea cozy.

Harry had been spending all of his spare time training Setarina and Lileana. They weren't really that far behind him, and it wasn't long before they were helping each other learn how to control and manipulate their powers any way they so desired. They became quicker with every repetition, until just the thought of doing something could channel the right amount of energy to do it. This allowed them to focus less on making their powers work and more on their surroundings. Because Harry had more than enough experience with Death Eaters and various Dark magic, he was able to prepare the girls for what they might encounter in the future. Their reflexes improved greatly, every movement became graceful and deliberate, a definite change from the seemingly reckless and unsure behavior the girls had carried before.

"You know," Lileana said, after resuming her usual form, "I could get used to this!"

Harry smiled. _'Good,_' he thought. _''Cuz you're going to need to.'_

His classes had been very demanding so far, and he imagined they would become even more so as the year progressed. He only had four classes, but his teachers were piling their students with homework almost every night. DADA seemed more practical than written. Arsenius was, as Severus told them, very anal, and he wanted every student to know how to do things the correct way. Harry began to wonder if the man had changed since Severus had seen him last, or if he had yet to see the true side of his professor.

"He's warming up to us," Ron said over breakfast one day. "He'll show his true colors eventually."

"Yea, but he's putting us off our guard," Setarina said.

"And he's gradually becoming whatever monster he is under that façade," Lileana commented.

"I just hope nothing serious happens," Hermione said quietly. Harry agreed with all of them.

"I dunno," He said slowly. "Professor Snape wouldn't have us be so wary of him for nothing."

"Which Professor Snape, Harry?" Ron asked, jokingly. "The shrewd tall one or the shrewd tall one?"

Harry laughed. "They do look a lot the same, don't they?"

"Are you kidding?" Lileana exclaimed. "They could pass for twins!"

"All the more reason to be careful, I suppose," Hermione said. "We'll never know who's who now!"

"That's not Professor Snape, it Professor _Snape_!" Setarina said dramatically.

"Make sure you hand that in to Professor Snape when you're done," Ron said, imitating Professor McGonagall. "He's standing over there with Professor Snape."

They couldn't stop making jokes for the remainder of breakfast. In fact, when they went to Potions and Severus emerged from his office, they looked at each other and burst into fresh rounds of laughter.

"Do I even want to know what could possibly be so hilarious?" He asked them, with a slightly confused expression.

"No!" They all said between fits of laughter. Severus just shook his head and let them be.

Severus had been a nervous wreck ever since the Feast, not that anyone could tell from his behavior. Arsenius hadn't spoken to him since that night, and nothing had happened in any of the DADA classes. Severus felt like he was being put off, and though he knew he shouldn't, he started to relax a bit. He began to think that his father had changed since he'd left the school, but he wasn't totally convinced.

Severus sighed, sitting down behind his desk. He opened his laptop and turned it on. He was rather fond of his laptop, and he was using it more frequently now, with occasional help from Harry, who was used to computers and knew how to use them more than he did.

He waited for the Wizarding Online Network sign on screen to pop up, typed in his pass code, and within seconds, he was online.

He hadn't seen Harry on in months, since the boy had been busy with schoolwork and life in general. Because Severus was used to not seeing Harry's name in his friends list, he was rather surprised to see it this time.

"Isn't it a bit late for you to be on the computer?" Severus wrote to him. It was, after all, nearly midnight.

"Never. Besides, I'm bored." Harry wrote back. They went back and forth for some time, and things became quite silly. It was 1 in the morning when Severus took a coffee break. He wasn't tired, but he thought it would help his mind stay awake.

"So anyways…" Harry wrote.

"Yes?"

"There was this one time at Magical Terrorism Camp…"

"Oh, no! LOL." Severus typed, groaning. He knew where this was going.

"Hehe! Oh, yes!" Harry replied. "Anyway, there was this time at Magical Terrorism Camp where Dumbledore took the director's wand and shoved it—"

"You're gonna set us a new low here aren't you?" Severus said, interrupting Harry.

All he got in return was a reference to someone's candy ass.

"You're horrible." Severus typed.

"I know," Harry replied.

"You're doing it wrong—again!" Arsenius exclaimed. They were trying to learn an advanced Deflection Spell, and Arsenius kept interrupting them to point out their mistakes. And he found several mistakes.

"STOP!" He shouted, and the class looked at him. "I'm going to show you one last time how to do it _properly_," he said. "You must hold your arm at thirty degrees above the horizontal for the upswing, and stop at twenty-three degrees below the horizontal, like this." He waved his arm as he spoke, emphasizing the degree of his arm.

"How the bloody hell are we supposed to know how many degrees our arms are slanted while we're waving our wands around like dope addicts in a psych ward?" Harry said, frustration lining his voice. He hadn't had a lot of sleep the previous night and was extremely irritable.

"Language, Potter," Arsenius said. "And you will know, because I will _make sure_ you do. Again."

They tried it again, and again. Harry'd had enough, and his arm was tired from being held up for so long.

"What the hell does it matter how we hold our arms?" He demanded. "What's important is that our aim is correct, not how many degrees we point our wands!"

Several other students voiced their agreement. They were just as worn out from wand-waving as Harry was, and some were just as frustrated. Arsenius, on the other hand, looked like he was about to lose his patience, and his temper.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor for the language, Potter," he said. "And another fifteen for questioning me."

"I just want to know what's so important—" Harry started, but he was cut off.

"If you're not going to learn things the correct way, then don't bother learning at all!" Arsenius said sharply. "Just do as I tell you and don't question my teaching abilities."

"I wasn't questioning your abilities, I was jus—"

"I don't want to hear your sad story excuses, Potter!" Arsenius' voice was filled with anger and he wore a truly ugly look on his face.

"It's not an excuse—"

"Or your lies!"

"I don't tell lies!" Harry snapped. He knew things were spiraling out of control, but he didn't know how to stop it. He had a feeling that if he let Arsenius talk over him, he'd end up like Severus, too afraid to stand up for himself. But it was too late.

"Detention, Potter," Arsenius' deadly voice penetrated Harry's numb mind, just as the bell rang.

"Fine," Harry replied and grabbed his bag. He whirled around and stalked out of the classroom in such a fury of black robes, one might have mistaken him for Severus.

He was so angry he didn't notice Arsenius watching his movements throughout the remainder of the week. However, when he looked up at the board that following Friday, he caught the man peering at him from the corner of his eye.

"He's been watching you, you know." Ron told him after class.

"I kinda figured," Harry replied. "Not a comfortable feeling at all."

"When's your detention?"

"Tonight," Harry set his bag down next to him in the Great Hall. "That ought to be a load of fun and games."

Ron shook his head. "I dunno, Harry. I don't trust him."

Harry looked at his friend over the rim of his goblet. "Me neither," he said quietly. _'Then again, I'm not sure I can trust anyone anymore,"_ he thought.

Harry walked down the hall to the DADA classroom feeling as though there was a brick in his stomach. He didn't like where it was sitting either. He stood in the doorway of the classroom, waiting for his professor to notice him.

"Come in, Potter," came the silky voice from behind the teacher's desk.

"Yes, professor," Harry replied, neutrally.

Arsenius set Harry on the task of scrubbing the desks. After an hour of complete silence, Harry began to wonder if this was all that he was going to be given. After all, he did talk back to a teacher, and with said teacher's reputation, Harry definitely expected a lot more.

"Finished, professor," Harry called, rubbing his hand. He began putting the cleaning supplies away in one of the cupboards.

"You are aware that I do not favor being back talked to, aren't you, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said slowly, closing the cupboard door.

"Has your Potions professor said anything to you that concerns me?"

Harry frowned. "No, sir." He was very fortunate that he had his back to Arsenius, because if he had been facing him, the older man would have seen the look in Harry's eyes. A look that would have betrayed his words.

"Hmm…" Arsenius said softly. "I would think he might have fed you and your classmates some silly rumour to spread amongst yourselves."

Harry turned around. He noticed how close Arsenius was to him.

"Well, he hasn't fed a story of any sort to us, as far as I know," Harry said. "In fact, Professor Snape doesn't tell stories of any kind, least of all to his students."

Arsenius looked at Harry. "Are you talking back to me again?"

Harry frowned again. "No—" But he was cut off, again.

"You're back talking," Arsenius whispered. "Come here, Mr. Potter."

"Why?" Harry asked, warily.

"Do as I say, Potter, or suffer the consequences!"

Harry stepped forward cautiously. The brick in his stomach seemed to gain more weight with each step he took.

"I warned you earlier this week that I wouldn't tolerate excuses, so don't try to feed me any," Arsenius began.

"I don't know what you're—"

The next thing Harry knew, he was lying on the floor, pain echoing on the side of his head. Arsenius' face loomed over him.

"That was just a taste of what you would've gotten had I let you finish your sentence, Mr. Potter. I'd advise that you wash your mouth out, before I do."

Harry sat up, his mind reeling.

"You're dismissed."

Things are moving along a little faster than I'd anticipated. Then again, I've also gotten sick, so I have more than enough time to write. Keep the reviews coming, and if anyone has any ideas that I can use in this story, by all means, please tell me!


	19. A Little History and a Dash of Violence

Hi!

Yes, it's been….forever, I know. I had actually forgotten where I was with this story, that's how long it's been. But now it's summer break. It's funny: all the years past, I always had something to keep me occupied over the summer months before school resumed, but now that high school's over for me, I see that I have _nothing_ to keep me occupied. My efforts to find a job have resulted in a huge disappointment, and I'm left worrying about where I'm going to come up with a few hundred dollars for my first college bill. However, one can't spend all their free time stressed out over financial issues, so I decided it was time to pick up my story before it was completely forgotten.

I do have a few reviews to answer to:

**hpfever**: Yea, I'm not too good with slash stories (can ya tell? We seem to be lacking detail and action here! lol), but I always wanted Sev and Harry to get to know each other better. Sev is one of Harry's only links to the family that was lost in the last war, and it's Sev that pushes Harry to do his best with his harshness. Harry doesn't see this, of course, and I'm not sure if J.K. Rowling's portrayal of Sev even knows he's doing this. Sev has a dark past, and I think he's trying to keep Harry from falling in his footsteps. But thank you for sticking with the story, despite the OOC pairing.

**barbarataku:** You will soon see that I'm not too fond of Albus, tho I do like him somewhat. He may be too old, but he is the one guarding Hogwarts from Voldemort and his followers. It's said that Dumbledore is the only one Voldemort fears, the only one who can openly defy Voldemort without instantly dying, etc. So I'm playing on that. I have started to think Albus is a very manipulative individual with the tasks he places on his charges. With Sev's father coming into the picture, it's clear that Albus has overlooked Sev's childhood. I won't get rid of the DADA class because Voldemort is back and the students need the training. Arsenius may be the bastard he is, but he does know what he's doing, and he was the only one available for the position.

**Dear God:** Ya know, when I saw that, I laughed. Not about the religious implication, but the thought that God would take time out of his busy schedule to leave a review for me.

You are the second person to mention the anti-British tone I've used in this story. I so wish I'd been raised in the UK instead of this country. Since Bush has been in office, I've found I'm less fond of America with each passing day. Unfortunately, my efforts to keep myself from Americanizing Harry Potter have, well, you all see that it's just not quite working. If anyone would like to volunteer themselves to be a British beta for me, by all means, feel free to let me know. My e-mail's Drop me a line.

On to the story.

Severus was sitting behind his desk, grading essays that he'd assigned the third years for homework, when he heard a knock at his door.

"Enter," he said, half paying attention. He heard the door open and close, but nothing else.

"You don't have to just stand there, like a useless tree," he snapped. He was tired, and wanted desperately to go to his rooms and attempt to sleep.

"I know, Severus."

Severus started, surprised at having heard the visitor's voice so close to him, and then froze, once he realized who it was.

"I never imagined I would live to see this day." Arsenius said, looking around the classroom. "Things have changed in the last fifteen or so years, haven't they?"

"They have," Severus replied, striving to keep his voice neutral.

"One would think, that in the seven weeks that have passed since I arrived here this term, I might have found time to stop by and see how you were doing. I seem to have forgotten how teaching takes up one's time."

"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" Severus sighed. He was still tense, waiting for Arsenius to leave the room. He wasn't tired anymore; instead he was nervous, but there was no way he was going to let that show through his usual mask of indifference. "How goes it so far?" He asked, putting his quill down and leaning back in his chair.

Arsenius settled himself at one of the tables. "Smoothly, for the most part. But those Gryffindors think they can say and do whatever they bloody well please and not have to deal with the consequences."

Severus smirked. "They always have, and they only get worse with every year that passes."

"I was referring to the older ones," Arsenius said, looking straight at his son.

Severus' stomach did a back flip. _'Think fast, Severus!' _his mind screamed. Keeping his face expressionless, he spoke.

"The older ones are used to having a different teacher for DADA each year," he began. "I'm not surprised that they're putting you through their usual routine of disrespect. They've been that way ever since Lupin was teaching."

"Perhaps, but Lupin at least knew what he was teaching, did he not?" Arsenius was studying Severus very closely.

"Yes, he did," Severus replied, picking up a stack of papers and sliding them into a folder. "However, it is late, and as much as I would be thrilled to continue this conversation with you about insolent Gryffindor students, I have had little to no sleep the last few days. I need to put an end to this day before I fall over."

Arsenius nodded. "Very well," he said, standing. "I will be seeing you soon, Severus. Good night."

"Good night," Severus responded, clearing his desk off so he could leave it for the night.

Arsenius walked swiftly out, closing the door with a snap. Severus let out a sigh, relaxing his now sore muscles.

"I really need to get some sleep," he said to himself.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"From which side do your powers come from?"

Severus looked up from yet another towering pile of essays.

"Why do you ask?"

Harry shrugged. "Just curious."

Severus put his quill down and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, blimey, it's been ages since I read the papers regarding my ancestry. Almost twenty years, in fact," he said.

"Can you try to remember?" Harry teased. "I mean, you're not _that_ old, are you?"

Severus smiled. "No, not yet." He thought for a few moments. It had been a very long time since he'd seen those papers, but he recalled it as though he'd just lived the experience.

"To have these powers in addition to being a wizard is not a very common thing, as you already know," Severus began. "However, you couldn't tell when you look at my family tree…" he trailed off in a sarcastic tone.

"Why?"

"Because those born with these powers are scattered all over the place," Severus replied. "The entire family is composed of purebloods, and although my end doesn't involve much intermarriage, some of my ancestors are related to the Snapes by both blood and marriage."

"I guess incest is the way to go in the Wizarding world," Harry said softly. Severus nodded.

"Unfortunately, you're right. And until a century or so ago, the majority of marriages were planned."

"Brilliant," Harry said.

"Back to your question, I get it from both of my parents," Severus continued. "My mother was extremely powerful and talented with hers, but my father prohibited her from using them. Little does he know, but he also has them."

"Why wouldn't he let your mother use her powers?"

"My father was a big supporter of the Dark Lord, and very much into Dark Magic. He could never understand where she got them from and how they worked, so he saw their use as an enemy to him."

Harry shook his head. He knew that everything depended on how one used their powers, whether for good or evil, but there were still people too narrow-minded to understand that.

"Your father had them as well, and if I am not mistaken, somewhere in your mother's line, someone also had them," Severus said, taking a sip of coffee.

"How do you know all of this?" Harry asked.

Severus shrugged. "The library has everything, right down to personal records that self-update, Harry."

Harry shook his head again, this time in disbelief. Every day, he learned something different. This day was no different from the rest.

The night of the Halloween Feast was as dark and eerie a night as any before. Outside, the rain poured in sheets that swept across the grounds with every fierce blow of the wind, lightning illuminated everything in sight and the thunder rumbled through the castle right down to the deepest end of the dungeons. It was a perfect night for the day, lifting spirits and enhancing the mood of all inside Hogwarts.

The students ate until they could eat no more, and all were entertained by the school ghosts, party items were exchanged and jokes were told. There was a smile on everyone's face, and every eye was lit up by the candles that floated above them.

When they were dismissed, it seemed as though the entire school was trying to exit the Great Hall at once. There was a lot of pushing and shoving and bumping into one another. Somehow, Harry found a way to squeeze through the doors, but he literally had to plow through someone in order to do it.

"A simple 'Excuse me' would have worked just fine, Mr. Potter," said a voice from behind him. Harry whirled around to face Arsenius.

"Then again, seeing as though you seem to have inherited your father's arrogance and disregard for rules," Arsenius continued, a nasty smirk playing around his lips, "I could hardly expect you to be any more courteous than he was."

"How judgmental of you to assume that just because I look like my father that I must behave exactly as he did," Harry replied coolly. Arsenius raised his eyebrows. Harry noticed that the other students had gone and the hall was empty save for them.

"I never mentioned similarity in appearance, Potter, therefore it is you that assumes and not I."

"Either way, I regret to inform you that aside from looking like him, I am NOT my father," Harry said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Be that as it may, Potter, you still need an attitude adjustment and correction in your behaviour," Arsenius sneered.

Harry shook his head. "Whatever," he said, and turned to leave.

"Detention, Mr. Potter."

Harry spun around again. "For what?" He demanded angrily. "I haven't even done anything an—"

SMACK!

Arsenius' hand connected with the side of Harry's head so hard it sent him across the floor, stopping just short of the staircase.

"I have told you time and again that I will not tolerate your back talking!" Arsenius hissed over him. "That'll be a week's worth of detentions and fifty points from Gryffindor! Now get out of my sight or I'll take more points!"

Harry scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could and tore up the stairs, stopping only when he reached the fifth floor corridor, when he slid down the wall and tried as hard as he could to stop himself from shaking.

Things went on the same as it always was for Severus, and as the days became shorter and colder, so did his patience. He hardly ever slept, and his mountain of paperwork seemed to be growing rather than shrinking. The only class he didn't have to scream at was his seventh year NEWT class, and for that he was grateful.

He had noticed that Harry had stopped visiting him after classes and was keeping to himself more and more with each passing day. As he could see nothing else that seemed unusual about the boy, Severus figured that Harry was finally starting to take his schoolwork seriously.

The bell rang, echoing from deep within the castle walls. There was a sharp breeze in the dungeons, enough to make even Severus shiver and draw his cloak closer around himself. Glancing up at the clock, he saw that it was nearly time for dinner. He looked back down at the pile on his desk, debating whether to continue working on it or to take a break and eat. His stomach's painful growl made him decide on the latter, and he strode out of his office.

As usual, the majority of the school was eating in the Great Hall, so it was relatively full of people chattering about one thing or another. However, as Severus began to fill his plate, he couldn't help but feel as though there was something out of place about his surroundings. Looking around, he could see nothing that wasn't supposed to be there. All the persons present were supposed to be there, and there weren't any suspicious faces among the House tables. Severus shook his head and put his thoughts aside. _'You're paranoid, Severus,'_ he thought to himself.

When he finished, his plate cleared itself. He gave the Hall one final glance as he left it, still feeling that something wasn't quite right. He was halfway down the stairs to the dungeons when it hit him.

Harry hadn't been at dinner.

Severus had seen Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley sitting together at the Gryffindor table, but Harry wasn't with them. Frowning, Severus thought that to be very odd, as Harry was hardly ever without the company of at least one of the two. But perhaps the boy simply hadn't been hungry. Yes, that had to be it. Excuses formed in Severus' mind as he continued down the hall to his office, but they didn't make sense to him. He remembered what Voldemort had ordered him to do last March. The mere possibility that Severus could kill Harry sent shivers through him. At his best, Harry could severely injure him, and Severus wouldn't put it past the boy to kill him if he wanted to. But if Harry sunk into himself again and became what he had been the year before, well, Severus didn't want to think about that.

As he sat down and dragged the fifth year's essays towards him, he shrugged his worries off and concentrated on his grading.

Harry sat on his bed, books lying open on all sides of him. He ignored his stomach's growling as he forced all of his concentration on his Transfiguration essay. He didn't want to think about food or of being around so many of his classmates at one time. He also didn't want to face Hermione's questions and Ron's cautious prodding about his well-being. Harry knew they meant well, but he just wanted to be left alone. He was very grateful that his teachers had given them so much homework. It gave him the excuse to be by himself and not expected to do anything with anyone.

Ever since that day when Arsenius had smacked Harry clear across the head, Harry had been spending less time with his mates and more time on his studies. Hermione was quite happy with Harry's change and Harry suspected she was trying to persuade Ron to do the same. But Harry knew there was a difference between being a dutiful student and just plain avoiding the world. As he expected, no one had really noticed this difference, which suited him just fine.

He recalled the week's worth of detentions he'd undergone with the elder Snape. It had been an excruciatingly painful and long week.

"This'll teach you to watch your tone with me," Arsenius had said to Harry the first night. Harry didn't think anything could be worse than Umbridge's etching quill, but he'd been sadly mistaken. Arsenius had made Harry take notes from the class textbook for seven straight hours that night. At first, Harry thought the task was rather simple for a detention, until he'd gotten over half an hour into it.

"_I said neatly, not in this disgusting, illegible scrawl!" Arsenius exploded over him. Arsenius snatched Harry's parchment and tossed it into the fire. "Start over!"_

_This time, Harry hadn't even made it onto the second page when the parchment was whisked from under him and he was soundly slapped in the face._

"_Are you as dim-witted as you look, Potter?" Arsenius raged, spit flying from his mouth. Harry sat as far back in his chair as he could, but Arsenius' face was still inches from his own. Harry opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off. _

"_Shut up and start over!"_

_Harry did his best to keep his writing flawless, but after a few hours, his hand was beginning to cramp up. He ignored the pain and continued. He was so concentrated on his task that he didn't hear Arsenius approach him for the fourth time that night. _

"_You still don't get it, do you?" Arsenius said quietly, causing Harry to start and leave a blot of ink on his parchment. Arsenius threw the parchment into the fire along with the one from before and towered over Harry._

"_What do I have to do to get you to do what I tell you to?" He asked. "Are you that stupid that you can't do a simple assignment as copying out of a mere textbook?"_

"_No—" Harry started to say, but he never got the chance to finish. A second later, he found himself on the floor, his head reeling in pain, and Arsenius was yanking him to his feet._

"_I didn't tell you to talk!" Arsenius roared at him. "Keep your filthy mouth shut unless you're told to open it! Do you understand?"_

_Harry nodded, holding his breath in fear. He saw the anger flit across the older man's face before his head collided with the cabinet next to him._

"_Get out of my sight, insolent brat!" Arsenius shouted in his face. Stumbling, Harry found his way to the door and left._

And that was how it went for the rest of the week. Harry would go about his assignment, whatever it was, until Arsenius found something he didn't like about it and hit Harry for it. By the time his last detention was over, Harry couldn't stand to be anywhere near his classmates or any of the staff without freezing up. He had to force himself to attend his classes and sat alone, away from the other students. Whenever he was questioned, he just snapped and told them to leave him alone, that he was fine.

He hadn't seen Severus in weeks either. He knew Severus would start to worry after a while, but Harry figured his professor had enough homework assignments to keep him out of Harry's hair for some time. He didn't use the orb simply because he wanted to be left to himself.

'_I'm not a little kid to be pampered and babied,' he thought to himself, 'I can take perfectly good enough care of myself.'_

He'd just rolled up his completed essay and put his books away when he heard the footsteps of the other boys on the stairs. Quickly he closed his bedcurtains and rolled into bed, whispering _"Nox"_ as he put his glasses on the stand next to him.

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his desk, deep in thought. Once again, his mind was going over the same things that had been bothering him since the Start of Term Feast. He couldn't get the look on Severus' face out of his head, no matter what Albus did.

"_Don't let that twinkle fade, Albus, but don't let it cloud your judgment either."_ Severus' words at the end of last year rose to the surface of Albus' thoughts.

Albus had forgotten about what Arsenius had been like when Severus was a child. Albus didn't know how he could have forgotten something so big, yet he had been under so much tension with Voldemort moving about that Albus barely had time to think about himself. No one else had offered to take the position save for Arsenius, and he only days before term began.

Severus hadn't spoken to Albus since then, and the older man knew the Potions Master hadn't been Summoned to Voldemort's side for anything in that time. He also knew that the Dark Lord would only interrupt Severus if it was deemed necessary to while school was in session. Yet the younger man was keeping to himself more and more, coming up to eat every so often, Albus knew, just to assure the Headmaster that he was alive and well before retreating to the dungeons once more.

Severus was alive, most assuredly, but he was certainly not well. The shadows had grown beneath his eyes and the lines in his face were sharper. He'd lost weight and color in his skin since September. The students had noticed that their professor was snappier and more prone to losing his temper. When Arsenius was in the room, Albus could see the tension in every move Severus made. Before anyone could blink, Severus would be gone without any evidence suggesting he'd been there.

The same could also be said for Harry. Albus knew Severus was concerned for the boy. Albus hadn't seen Harry smile in several months. When he'd heard what had happened at the Dursleys, he'd shut himself in his office and cried for hours. Albus had never found a way to talk to Harry about what had happened. Whenever he made eye contact with the boy, the look in Harry's eyes would keep his mouth sealed. It was clear that Harry was not happy with the older man and wanted nothing to do with him.

Not knowing what to do, Albus did what he'd always done before. He put his thoughts aside and did what he could to keep everyone safe from Voldemort's throes. He knew he wasn't making anyone happy with his plans, but he'd rather have them angry with him then have them dead.

Yet whenever he saw Harry these last few weeks, Albus could almost feel the unhappiness that gripped Harry so tightly. Harry didn't eat as much and was overly aware of his surroundings. The slightest thing caused him to start and he spent more time out of sight. In the last week, Albus had seen Harry on the way to class, alone, and the boy had stopped coming to meals. The few times Albus had seen him in the hall, he noticed Harry was thinner and paler, but aside from that, the only other change was in his grades. He was getting straight O's across the line, and seemed to be drinking in everything that he could get his hands or ears on.

'_How remarkably like Severus when he was a student,'_ Albus thought, nudging one of his spheres so that it spun on its dais. Severus had always thrown himself into his studies when—'_Wait a minute,'_ Albus stopped himself and sat up. Severus got straight O's every year, occasionally an A, but he put every ounce of his will into his work when things went too far between him and his father. And Harry was very much like Severus in just about everything he did.

'_Something's wrong,'_ Albus thought, his brow creasing. _'He's too much like Severus.'_

Whatever it was that was affecting Harry was also bothering Severus, Albus knew. And Harry, like Severus often was, was teetering on the brink of suicide. It was just a matter of how long it would take for someone or something to hand Harry the pistol.

And Albus had every intention of keeping both his boys alive, no matter what the cost.

Next chapter: What happens when Severus finds out what's happening to Harry? And exactly what does Albus have up his sleeve?

Even I don't know, yet. Hehe. But since I've nothing else better to do while waiting for employers to call me and tell me I've been hired, I have time to write, or type I should say. TTFN!


	20. Secret's Out

Severus' Reflection

By Severus27

Disclaimer: Just for the hell of it, I daresay I own NOTHING! Except the laptop this was written on and a few other electronics….o and the plot is mine! Mine, mine, mine!

Enough of that crap.

I read the sixth book the night it came out, and about halfway through it, I concluded that my story line is basically completely destroyed. As in totally trashed. At first I was like, "I'm gonna have to change the entire story line," but now that I've had a few weeks to think about it, I've decided we'd all be better off if I just leave things as they are.

Obviously Severus will be extremely OOC, but all will be explained as things unfold. Just thought I'd let y'all know, so I don't get flamed for Potterland inconsistencies.

I gotta stop hangin' around these Texans. They're startin' to rub off on me real bad. 

**snapes-numba1-fan-haleigh**: Hermione has always been the calm one when things get rough, so that's to be expected of her. Harry, on the other hand, isn't as close to Ron as he was before their big fight in the Great Hall the previous year. Things'll smooth out as the story goes on, especially when Ron realizes that Severus isn't as bad as he appears to be.

O yea, I also need to know what happens next. I've reached something of a plateau here and I hate how I don't know how to get from mid-November to February. Grr This part wasn't included in my original vision (which was, o god, three years ago? LOL).

**Marauder Megan**: Yea, slash not my strong point, as I've said before. However, their "odd" relationship will come in handy down the road, when their survival is on the line.

Ah, yes…fowl loathsome evil little cockroach…smiles evilly Hehe. Couldn'ta said it any better myself :-P

**Lady Darkness13**: Aww…you're too sweet! I think this is helping my writing skills a lot, even while I'm out of school. Yea, I never liked Arsenius either, the jerk. I got his name, and Severus' first name (Anastasius) from a book I had to read over the summer for tenth grade, _Pope Joan_. I liked the names a lot, and it wasn't long after that the idea for this story came about, so, voila! But thank you so much! sniffs

You guys are all awesome. Thanks for sticking with me, even with my lack of consistent updates.

"Bottle up and stopper what you've got, bring your potions to my desk, and then you're all dismissed," Severus told his fourth year Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw class after the bell rang. The students did as instructed, creating a relatively noisy atmosphere in the generally silent dungeon.

Over their heads, Severus saw his father enter the classroom and walk towards the front desk.

"Good afternoon, Severus," Arsenius said in greeting.

"Good afternoon," Severus replied. "Think twice before leaving your brother to clear your area, Blakely!" he sneered at a scrawny Hufflepuff who was trying to sneak off without bothering to clear his desk off. "Ten points!"

He smirked as the boy's face reddened, and turned to his father.

"And what can I do for you?" Severus asked as calmly as he could.

"Oh, I was just wondering," Arsenius began slowly, watching the students bring their potions up to Severus. "When is your N.E.W.T class?"

"If you continue to make cement instead of potions, Rotwood, the British Ministry may find you more suitable for Public Works. I want a four foot long essay on the properties of the antidote that you are supposed to be brewing by next class," Severus snapped at the Ravenclaw that handed him a thick and goopy concoction. "Friday morning's their next lesson, and it's a double period," he answered his father. "May I ask why you wanted to know this?"

"Well, I was rather curious to see how far along that particular group is, firsthand," Arsenius replied.

"In other words, you'd like to teach them," Severus said, his mind racing at the thought.

"Always quick on the uptake, Severus," Arsenius commented. "Yes, that is precisely what I was going to request of you. That is, if you don't mind."

Severus did mind, very much, in fact. However, he was in no hurry to start anything between himself and his father if he could help it.

"Be my guest," he smirked. "I'm sure it'll be an interesting experience, to say the least."

"Very well," Arsenius said. "First thing Friday morning it is. I'll see you then."

Severus nodded, and Arsenius swept out of the dungeon along with the few remaining students who were gathering their belongings together.

'_Bloody hell,'_ Severus thought.

That Friday, the N.E.W.T Potions had class filed in and were settled at their seats before the bell had even rung. Not a word had been uttered, and not even the slightest dirty look had been exchanged.

"Good morning," Arsenius began, and the class replied the same back to him. "Your professor has kindly allowed me to teach you all today, for my own personal reasons. I'm rather curious to see just how far along you've gotten in the last six years."

Out of the corner of his eye, Severus saw Harry glance over to the side of the room where Severus was standing. For a brief moment, Severus' eyes met his, and he knew that Harry was thinking the same thing he was, that Arsenius also wanted to see just how well Severus had taught them over the years.

"Today we will be brewing a complex but not impossible potion, the Catatonic Draught," Arsenius continued. "The key to this potion lies not in the ingredients, but in the manner of which the potion is stirred and the concentration of the brewer. This means that the success of this potion depends on the strength of mental magical power." He flicked his wand at the board. "Those are the instructions. The end result should be orange-red, smooth, with a peachy odor."

Setarina raised her hand cautiously.

"Miss Evanis?"

"What does the Catatonic Potion do, sir?" she asked.

"A very good question," Arsenius commented. "Can anyone volunteer an answer?"

He scanned the room. Severus knew exactly what the potion did, and he was more than aware that his father did as well. He strongly doubted any of the ten students in the room even knew what the word 'catatonic' meant, let alone what the potion would do to them if they were to ever take it. So he was quite surprised when Harry raised his hand.

Apparently his father was as well.

"Mr. Potter?" Arsenius called on him, his own astonishment barely hidden in his voice.

"'Catatonic, catatonia:' A psychotic syndrome, or severe mental disorder characterized by symptoms of delusions or hallucinations which indicate an impaired contact with reality. It is especially known in schizophrenia and is characterized by muscle rigidity and mental stupor," Harry recited. "Using that, we can conclude that the Catatonic Draught puts the drinker in a catatonic state. What this means is, the person becomes entirely unresponsive and unaware of his or her surroundings. They do what is called 'freezing,' in which they remain completely still for unimaginably long periods of time. This 'freezing' is what gives the person's limbs what is known as a waxy flexibility reflex, meaning you can put them in any position you so desire and he or she will remain in that position either until you restore him or her to his or her natural condition, or the catatonic state ends."

Severus just stared at Harry, along with the rest of the class. Harry raised his eyebrows at them all, as if to say, "what?"

"How do you know this?" Arsenius asked for everyone else.

"Er…I saw a movie, Don't Say A Word, some time ago," Harry replied. "It's basically about a girl who's been in and out of institutions since her father was killed when she was 8. Apparently she was overlaying, mimicking the symptoms of other patients with severe mental disorders. She had about twenty different diagnoses. Anyways, the men who killed her father were hunting her down to try to get some number out of her and it took a psychologist with a talent for working with kids to get it from her."

"Ah, I see." Arsenius turned to Severus. "Severus, would you mind adding to what Mr. Potter has described concerning the potion?"

Severus told the class how the mental magic affects the potion and its outcome. "Those of you who excelled in nonverbal magic last year will have no problem with this," he said. "The rest of you, however," he sneered, "will have a particularly difficult time brewing the potion."

"Thank you, Severus," Arsenius said. "Kind of gives you a sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?" He smirked at his son.

Severus said nothing and kept his face impassive.

The tension is high with Arsenius teaching. Severus was rigid and extremely cautious, trying to stay a step ahead of his father. The students are tense too, because of what they know. Harry's the tensest, overly cautious, working quickly and meticulously, keeping Arsenius in the corner of his eye. Arsenius, having fallen into his former role of Potions Master, maintained a sharp eye on the students' work. Ever quick to snap at a mistake, he was keeping them all on edge.

Severus was pacing. He tried to stay busy, but he was too worked up to concentrate on much. He found himself watching his father. It had, after all, been over a decade since they'd seen each other.

For a man in his fifties, Arsenius was still well-built and strong. Despite his mask of anger, he looked younger than he was.

Watching his father monitor the class, Severus felt like he were part of the class as well, but without a cauldron. He was well aware that his father could _make_ a student learn how to brew a potion exactly the way it should be. However, Severus thought his father's teaching methods to be too cruel for children.

"Mr. Malfoy," Arsenius drawled, looming over the blond in question. "Why is your potion crimson?"

Malfoy stuttered his excuses. After delivering a guilt trip concerning the elder Malfoy's performance in Potions, Arsenius makes Draco start over.

The man favored Slytherins above all, despising the rest, yet he disciplined them all the same. It didn't matter who you were; slip just once and you'll wish you'd never woken up that day.

Severus noticed that the rest of the potions were very close to where they should be, yet it was Harry's that stood out. His was exact, perfectly smooth, right down to the number of bubbles that rose to the surface. While his father critiqued the others, Severus watched Harry work for a few moments.

Cautious. Alert. On edge. Steady. His movements were precise, his timing correct, his measurements were even and leveled off at the line. But he was too guarded, slightly over-sensitive to his surroundings, and kept glancing towards Arsenius warily.

"Mr. Potter." He didn't jump, not physically, but Severus saw Harry's left hand flinch from where it hung at his side.

"It seems you've inherited more from your mother than her eyes." Arsenius paused. "Or perhaps it's your lucky day."

Eyes determinedly fixated on the liquid before him, not a single falter in stirring and regular breaths.

"Bottle, stopper, and label," Arsenius said, moving away.

"Yes, sir." Completely neutral voice, somewhat below Harry's usual pitch. Emotionless. Closed face, mechanical movement. Severus tried to use Occlumency to see into Harry's mind, but he found himself outside several layers of unmoving walls.

When Harry approached the front desk with his potion, Arsenius was helping (surprise) another student, his back turned. Harry set the bottles in front of Severus, who then grabbed Harry's left hand.

It was still twitching.

Their eyes locked, and Severus' senses were overwhelmed with feelings of nervousness, anxiety, and an undercurrent of desire, all of which was tightly wrapped in fear.

"The bottles, professor," Harry whispered. Severus glanced over Harry's shoulder at Arsenius' back, lightly caressing Harry's palm with his fingers.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," he replied, releasing the boy's hand.

"A surprisingly intelligent group, I must say," Arsenius said after class, studying Lileanna's potion. "It still amazes me how Potter's was so perfect."

"He wasn't always like this," Severus said. "His results used to be quite poor. Not to mention useless."

"So when did he start producing satisfactory results, or is this a recently acquired talent?" Arsenius sneered.

"He began to put more effort into his work last year," Severus replied. "And I used to wonder if what I thought were rare glimpses of Lily's brilliance were mere delusions."

Arsenius finished marking the students' work. "The Evanis sisters look promising, as well as Mr. Boot," he said. "I don't see how Draco made it to N.E.W.T level." At this he looked straight at his son.

"Draco has always been borderline in this class."

"Yet he is also a favorite of yours, yes?"

"He's my godson."

"And he expects you to show favoritism towards him because you are his godfather," Arsenius said. "You've let him remain under your tutelage, despite your strict acceptation standards."

Severus wasn't quite sure what to say to this. It was true he'd wanted to keep an eye on Draco.

"The art of potion-making is something that only those who are truly gifted can appreciate," Arsenius said. "Favoritism plays no part in that, Severus. I thought I'd taught you that."

"You did—" Severus began.

"Silence!" Arsenius snapped. "Do not speak unless I tell you to!"

'_Shit,'_ Severus thought, _'this is not good.'_

"Do I need to inform the headmaster that you are allowing incompetent fools to continue in a field where they have not the slightest hope of learning anything?"

Severus didn't say anything.

"Answer me!"

"I don't think Draco—"

CRACK!

Arsenius' hand connected with the side of Severus' head with such force that it sent him backwards until he was half sitting on his own desk.

"I don't give a bleeding damn _what_ you _think_!" Arsenius hissed, towering over his son. "You haven't changed at all! Always thinking, never knowing! Do you know anything?"

"Yes, I—" Severus started.

Arsenius grabbed Severus' collar and threw him aside, causing Severus to land on the end of a long desk that was piled with scales. The table collapsed from under him and the scales cascaded over him as he hit the stone floor.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Arsenius sneered.

Severus remained silent, frozen. Arsenius grabbed Severus' robes and slammed him against the wall. Their faces close, he snarls, "Did I give you permission to speak?"

Severus shook his head. The next thing he knew, he was being sent headlong into his own desk.

"Seems you've forgotten my rules, Severus," he heard his father say before he passed out.

Meanwhile, Harry was in the headmaster's office.

"Harry, I want to apologize for this past summer," Dumbledore began. "I had no idea things had gotten that far out of hand."

Harry shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Professor," he said. "What's done is done. There's nothing we can do about it now, so let's just let it go."

Dumbledore looked at the boy seated in front of him. He didn't want to do what he was about to do, but he had to do something.

"Harry, your time here is running out," he began. "There's still a large amount of tutoring that you need to get before you leave." He paused. "Especially in Advanced DADA, which is four times what you had going in your fifth year. I've requested that Professor Arsenius Snape oversee your training in that field."

Harry had to take a second to digest that.

"No," he said numbly. "No. No way in bleeding hell, professor!"

"You need this, Harry."

"But—no! Just—no!"

"Harry, listen to me!" Dumbledore commanded. Harry fell silent.

"This is crucial to your defense education! You _must_ have this knowledge in you before you leave Hogwarts, do you understand?"

Harry nodded.

Dumbledore sighed. Harry could see in his eyes that the older man did not want to do this.

"Will you please accept these lessons from Professor Snape Sr.?"

Harry swallowed.

"Yes, sir," he said dejectedly. "Only for you."

"Thank you."

Harry got up and swirled to the door.

"Harry?"

Harry turned and looked at the headmaster.

"I'm sorry."

Harry looked at the floor for a second, then left Dumbledore alone in his office, worried and confused for the boy.

Severus came to several hours later. The dungeon was dark and cold. He moved to get up and felt a sharp pain sear through his head and arm. When he got into a vertical position, he made his way to the looking glass to check himself out.

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what he normally looked like, so he put a Glamourie on to cover the marks.

There was a knock at the door. Severus hesitated at his desk.

"Who is it?" he sneered.

"Me…sir." Harry's voice, also hesitating, wafts through the door. Severus opened it and Harry becomes a blur, rushing past him and pushing the door shut, all the while muttering a string of charms under his breath.

"Harry?" Severus watched Harry glance around the dim dungeon, as if someone were to jump out and attack at any moment. There was an odd glint in the emerald orbs as they connected with Severus' black ones, and it sent a chill through Severus' body.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked. Severus frowned. "Yes, I can see through the Glamourie," Harry said swiftly.

"Don't worry about me, Harry," Severus told him. "You shouldn't be here—"

"I don't care. You should know that."

Severus watched Harry pace between the desks, eyes darting at every shadow. Severus strode over to him and put his hands to Harry's arms to stop him. At his touch, Harry flinched and froze, a reaction that also caused Severus to freeze.

"Harry?" he whispered. Harry kept his eyes low. Severus tilted the boy's face up so their eyes could meet. He could feel Harry begin to tremble as he fought his body's reaction to physical contact. He saw the fear in Harry's eyes, and the desperation. Sighing, he drew Harry into his arms and held him tightly.

"Sev?" Harry said a few minutes later.

"Hm?"

"I need to tell you something." Harry moved away from Severus. "Dumbledore's having your father give me Advanced DADA lessons."

Severus' blood went cold.

"I told him no, but he insists that I need this training," Harry continued bitterly.

"Whose idea was it?" Severus asked.

"His, apparently. He said he asked your father to do this."

Severus shook his head. He was going to kill the old man.

"When do these lessons begin?"

"Monday evening, after dinner."

Harry was pacing again. Severus could feel his aura twist and turn around him. There was more to this than Harry was going to tell him. That fact alone made Severus' heart ache. He walked over to Harry and ran his hand through the disheveled hair.

"I don't want to do this," Harry muttered.

"I know," Severus replied quietly. His hand shook and Harry looked up at him.

"How long has it been?" he asked softly.

"Too long."

Harry nodded. Severus felt Harry's aura shift again, this time pushing against his own. Abandoning all pretense, he pulled Harry closer and kissed him gently. Then he pulled back and looked at Harry.

"Screw this," Harry said, pulling Severus back to kiss him desperately.

A few minutes later, Severus moved them back against a desk so he could hold Harry. That was how they remained for the night, until Harry fell asleep in Severus' arms.

December in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was becoming a rather crazy month for the students. Everyone seemed to really be into the holiday spirit, even more so in the classes themselves. The teachers couldn't get any of them to settle down long enough to do lessons, and at least a few of the professors looked about to give up.

Harry was the only student that wasn't involved in the holiday mood. The lessons with Severus' father were pretty much the same as the DADA classes themselves. The only exception to that was that whenever Harry slipped up, he was hit soundly about the head, at times with so much force that he was knocked aside.

Christmas morning was grey and dreary. There was no snow, just rain that seemed to go on for eternity. Of all the students, Harry and the Evanis sisters were the only ones staying at the castle for the holiday. Among the remaining staff were the headmaster, McGonagall, Severus and Arsenius. Nothing particularly interesting happened during supper. The most enlightening part of the evening was the duel that Lileanna convinced Harry to participate in with her sister.

It wasn't long after that Harry dragged himself up to Gryffindor Tower and collapsed on his four-poster and drifted off to sleep.

"You're not trying hard enough!" Arsenius roared at Harry. It was the fourth time that he'd messed up on his "rubbery" shield that evening, and he was quickly losing his energy.

"I'm sorry, professor, but—"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses!" Arsenius sneered. "You're going to do it properly, and quit playing games!"

Harry refrained from retorting to that last part, although it took considerable effort to do so.

"Again," Arsenius commanded.

Harry gathered all his remaining strength and willpower together and poured it all into his concentration. He blocked everything out, the vision of a large rubbery dome surrounding him the sole thing in his mind.

What he actually produced was a filmy, flimsy, pus-coloured balloon-like thing around him. This did not please Arsenius in the least.

The next thing Harry knew, he was sprawled out on the floor, his arm throbbing from Arsenius' fist.

"Imbecile!" Arsenius snarled in Harry's face. "Completely incompetent! Ridiculous fool!" And with every insult, he punched Harry with what felt like as hard as was conceivably possible. "Is this not simple?" Arsenius spat.

"Yes, but—"

CRASH!

Harry was thrown into a corner of stacked desks and cabinets. He rolled off one of the cabinets and fell between two desks that split apart from one another as he landed on them. He'd barely had a chance to catch his breath when Arsenius yanked him up again.

"Did I give you permission to speak, insolent brat?" Arsenius hissed. Harry cringed.

"Well?"

"N-n-no, sir—" Harry stuttered. He was promptly rewarded with a solid punch to the jaw, which jerked his head soundly against the cabinet next to him.

"Exactly!" Arsenius snarled. "And you _still_ don't follow instruction! Apparently you need things pounded into your insubordinate brain in order to get anywhere! Look at me when I am speaking to you!"

He jerked Harry's head up, causing Harry to get a sharp dizzy spell and nearly pass out. The blood was pouring down from Harry's temple at this point. His lip was also bleeding, as he'd accidentally bit down on it when he'd fallen through the desks.

"Do not talk unless I give you explicit instruction to do so, do you understand me?" Arsenius barked at Harry. "Have you got that through your unbelievably thick skull? Do you?"

Harry didn't answer.

"Are you listening to me, or are you trying to ignore me?" Arsenius roared, smacking Harry hard across the face twice. "Do your ears work?"

"Y-yes…" Harry slurred.

Arsenius screamed in pure anger and threw Harry violently across the room. Harry slammed into the stone wall and slid down, leaving a trail of blood as he went.

"Now look what you've done!" Arsenius exclaimed, striding over to the shaking teenager. "You're nothing but a filthy Gryffindor, and even less capable than the rest!"

He grabbed Harry's sleeve and pulled him off the floor. Still holding the boy's sleeve, Arsenius flung him into the other group of desks. Once more, Harry fell through them, knocking them over in the process. He rolled to the side once he hit the floor, the legs of one desk narrowly missing his face. Lying on his back near the door and on the verge of blacking out, he looked up.

Severus was standing in the doorway, all the colour in his face completely gone.

Hehehehehe. I'm such a wench! But w0w, did that take a while to come to. I spent two weeks writing all of it down, and I was trying to find the perfect opportunity for Severus to catch Arsenius in the act. And then it was like, why can't I just have the story go from my head straight to the computer? Grr! It's a lot of typing. But it's worth it.

So…..do we likes? waits anxiously Lemme know, soon!

O, and did I mention I FINALLY got a job? I was so hyper, it was crazy!

Lataz.


	21. Keeping the Silence

Seems I need to take care of some unhappy customers….sigh

**Jade**: I write you back first because you seem to have the biggest issue with the story.

Notice at the beginning of Chapter 20 that I mentioned this story to be OOC, esp after finishing the 6th book.

I **can't** write Sev out as cruel as JKR because only she knows his innards.

Harry would've had time to play games after he received the laptop for Xmas—and I'm **sure** he must've seen Dudley play games before so Harry would obviously have some idea as to what he likes.

As for my abbreviations: So I spend too much time on IMs. Sue me. Those were the first few chapters and by far the hardest for me to write. I know I still have to go back and edit them when I'm through.

Concerning my tenses: Why don't **you** try writing a 7-10 page chapter and stay up all night typing it up while staring into a monitor after not sleeping for 2 days and not having eaten since the previous night, add a raging migraine on top of it all, and **then** tell me if you can keep your tenses straight. I **know** perfectly well that I have a problem with tenses. Normally I don't. But I don't normally spend all night trying to write my papers either. There's a reason I aced all my English exams and Regents'—because I **know** how to manipulate the language. Please allow me the right to human error that I bring myself when I choose to lose valuable sleep to update my story for everyone else. I didn't **want** to stay up so damn late: the chapter was too long and I was wishing I didn't have to type it all and that it would just appear on the screen for me. But life doesn't work that way.

Sheesh. And I thought **I** was nit-picky.

**Rain**: I'm not too sure about this, but I think that Death Eaters aren't allowed to teach at Hogwarts, the exception being Sev. Also, while Arsenius has always been engulfed in Dark Magic, he was never 100 supportive of Voldemort, and if he were, he'd be a Death Eater as well. We have no reason to believe that he is one as of yet.

And yes, I am an imbecile. Quite proud of it as well. Thank you.

**Emnity:** Thank you for being gentle on the tenses for me. Sorry about that. I try my best at night, but y'all know how it goes. I was just sooooooooo tired 

**N.E.W.T.S**: That's why I chose not to rewrite this story. Once I finished the 6th book, I realized that my plot was totally trashed. Now I guess it's AU, so, yea. I keep writing because a) it's almost done and b) people still seem to enjoy it, so I write. But thanks for your input.

**snapesnumbah1fanhaleigh **and **Lady Darkness13**: I hate causing pain for people  Makes me cry sometimes. But it's essential for this story. I do promise that neither Harry or Sev will die :-P

Oi vey (I think it's spelled right?).

For the rest of you, thank you for your reviews. I didn't expect to get so many this quickly. However, it would be nice for some to actually tell me if they like or don't like my story, not criticize the way I write it (as in picking it apart). I don't mind pointing out grammatical errors and small shit like that, but don't tear every sentence apart on me. I've seen stories on here that were written shittier than hell. I've also **graded and corrected** other people's essays and papers. Why? Because I am one of the rare students that have the ability to use the languages I read, speak, and write for whatever purpose I want, and because I can see errors. Out of habit, I generally don't proof what I write, which is why I always have errors when I post.

End rant. Continue to story. Luv y'all anyways! 

Chapter 21 Keeping the Silence

Severus was doing his usual patrolling of the corridors following supper one January evening. It wasn't a surprise that there weren't any students in the halls, after all, it was so bitterly cold and windy outside that the chill just came right through the stone walls.

And he had some random old Muggle song playing in his mind as he walked along...

_does it hurt to remember/ does it help to forget / do you know what you started / when you let the fuse have a grip / There's not a reason why / you've come undone / there's nothing left to justify / this can't go on / There's nothing left inside / as I walk this broken line / ...do you still hear him screaming / and does the fear make you run / is the anger inside of you / a gift from father to son / I don't believe in you / you've come undone / I don't believe in what you do / this can't go on / I don't believe in you / as I walk this broken line..._

Severus shook his head. He had to stop thinking about that shit.

He had just turned the corner towards the DADA classrooms and was promptly blasted by a shot of icy wind from the corner window. He tightened his cloak around him and continued down the corridor.

CRASH!

Severus paused, listening hard. He didn't hear anything for a few moments, so he moved on, keeping his ears peeled.

About a minute later, he heard a thud and someone yelling angrily from a room towards the end of the corridor.

"Now look what you've done!" A pause. "You're nothing but a filthy Gryffindor, and even less capable than the rest!"

Walking swiftly, Severus went to the door and opened it in time to see someone rather dirty and red fly into a group of desks near the doorway and fall through them. That someone rolled over upon hitting the floor, narrowly avoiding a desk leg to the face. Lying face up, that someone looked up at Severus with half-glazed green eyes.

It was Harry.

Severus stood in complete shock as he stared at the boy at his feet. Covered in dust and dirt, Harry was just flowing blood out of places that Severus couldn't even see. If he didn't know Harry's behavior as well as he did, Severus would've never known that Harry was in a full panic and on the verge of losing consciousness.

"Well, well, well, Severus. Delighted you could join us."

"What in the bloody hell is going on here?" Severus croaked out, still staring at Harry, who had curled up on the floor, facing Severus.

"Language," Arsenius admonished softly. "I believe you know precisely what's going on here. Don't you, Severus?"

Severus looked around the classroom. He saw the overturned desks, the blood smeared on not only the wall, but also the desks and cabinets. Severus' gaze went from the dust in the air to Arsenius, who'd moved closer to where he stood.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because he's nothing but a spoiled, rotten, incompetent, worthless excuse for a human being who can't follow direction. At all," Arsenius sneered.

"Regardless of that, was this really nec—"

Arsenius backhanded Severus so hard he stumbled into the wall.

"Don't question me, boy," Arsenius hissed. "You know what happens to insubordinate students. Everything is beaten into them until they learn it _properly_. Some need more discipline than others."

"This isn't discipline, this is—" Severus tried to protest but was cut off.

There was a thud as Arsenius gave his son a swift punch in the head.

"Don't talk back to me!" he roared. "Now. You know the rules. You _will_ follow them. You break them, I _will_ know. You'll wish I'd killed you all those years ago."

He turned so suddenly that Severus flinched.

"Take care of that," Arsenius spat, looking at Harry's now unconscious and still bleeding form on the floor. Then he swept out of the classroom.

Severus slid down the wall to the floor. _"Reparo,"_ Severus whispered, and the room returned to its normal state. He gathered Harry into his arms and within seconds they were both in the Potions classroom.

"_Clottus terminus_," Severus muttered, laying Harry flat on the floor. He crawled to his store cupboard, pulled out the strongest Healing Potion and Revitalizing Draught in his possession. Crawling back to Harry, he dumped the necessary doses down Harry's throat and waited.

"Severus?" Harry whispered. Severus looked down at him.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, his voice breaking. Severus noticed that even with the Revitalizing Draught, Harry was still extremely weak. Even his aura had completely vanished.

"For what?" Severus asked, stroking the boy's hair.

"Failing," Harry said, and fell back into unconsciousness.

Severus frowned. That wasn't supposed to have happened. And why was Harry so weak?

"_Salio Revelo_," Severus incanted the charm for a health report. A piece of parchment fell out of the air. Severus grabbed it, took one look at it and gasped.

Harry hadn't eaten a single morsel of food since the Christmas dinner, and nothing before that for at least several weeks. He'd been living off of water for months. Most of Harry's spare time had been spent sleeping if not studying and, according to the parchment, he'd been abused for some time. It also said that he had very poor energy levels.

Severus picked Harry up and carried him to his chambers, to a spare room that Severus occasionally used as a guest room. He put Harry on the bed and tucked him in, setting Harry's glasses on the stand beside him. Deciding to let the boy stay as long as he needed to reenergize, Severus left the door ajar and went to sit in the main chamber, still scanning the report.

Towards the bottom of the parchment, it said that Harry's magical status was Restricted. Severus knew that Restricted meant either dangerously low or blocked, though by what, he had know idea. Dangerously low didn't match up with Harry, as he'd still been able to perform astonishingly well in his classes. Lack of food and low energy couldn't cause a block to one's magic either. Severus was at a loss as to how and why Harry's magic was Restricted.

His first instinct was to go and tell Albus about it, but Arsenius' words rose to the surface of his mind: _"You know the rules, you _will_ follow them. You break them, I _will_ know…"_ Severus was to keep his mouth closed no matter the circumstance, or else pay the consequences. But even as this thought left his mind, he was reminded of the sixteen-year old teenager in the other room and the damage that was being inflicted on the both of them.

There was only one other person that Severus could trust. And she had to know.

Twenty minutes later, Minerva McGonagall was seated across from him, having just finished examining the health report.

"Who did this?"

Severus looked at her. He didn't say a word, yet he could see in her eyes that she knew the answer.

"I should have known," she said.

"This has to stay between us, Minerva," Severus said. "You know this as well as I."

"Yes, I do. And you know I will, as I have previously."

Severus nodded. Then he thought of something.

"The Evanis sisters," he said. "We have to protect them."

"I believe it may already be too late," Minerva said. "Setarina's been slightly…off, since holiday."

"Yes, I've noticed that as well," Severus sighed. "It appears that no one else has, however."

Minerva nodded. "Let's hope it stays that way."

She took another look at the parchment before her. "'Restricted?" she asked, frowning.

"That's what it says," Severus said. "But the things that would cause restriction aren't present in him. Nothing matches up."

"Hmm," she said. "I could help you with the research for this, if it's alright with you."

Severus shrugged. "I have no problem with that," he said. "Two minds are better than one."

Minerva gave him a slightly amused look. "You wouldn't've said those words twenty years ago," she said.

"I was a child twenty years ago," Severus sneered. "And quite out of it I might add."

Minerva shook her head and stood to leave. "I'll see you in the morning?"

Severus nodded. She turned and left, closing the door with a snap behind her.

Harry woke up at some point in the morning. He didn't know what time it was, but he didn't bother to open his eyes to find a clock. So he fell back asleep.

"...Harry?" Someone was calling his name. Harry opened his eyes and saw Severus standing beside the bed, looking down at him. Harry frowned.

"My guest room," Severus said, answering the unspoken question in Harry's mind. "Not that I expect to have visitors at any point, but as you can see, it does come in handy sometimes."

Harry smiled, but didn't say anything. Severus sat on the edge of the bed and looked closer at him.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked softly.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" Harry asked.

"I have only an idea, Harry," Severus said. "Your situation is a bit different from mine."

Harry shrugged. "Drained. Sore. Helpless. Depressed. The list goes on much further than that, but I could care less to relate it," he said.

It was apparent that Severus was thinking, as he didn't answer right away. Harry sat up a little and pulled his knees up from under the sheet.

"I wasn't supposed to pass out last night after the potion, was I?" Harry asked.

"No," Severus said heavily. "Regardless of your condition, you were supposed to remain conscious."

"So why didn't I?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out." Severus stood and left the room.

Frowning again, Harry got up from the bed and went to the adjacent bathroom. When he was finished, he went out to the main chamber, where Severus was seated in an armchair. Harry sat in the other chair and waited for the older man to speak.

"There's a parchment on the table," Severus said. "Take a look."

Harry picked it up and examined it. "My health report," he said.

"Mmhm."

Harry saw where the report told of how long it had been since he'd last eaten and swore under his breath.

"Mmhm."

Harry glanced up at Severus. He was still staring out in space. Looking back at the parchment, Harry read the rest of it.

"Hang on," he said after a moment. "'Magical status listed as Restricted?' How can that be?"

He watched as Severus' eyes focused and swiveled over to his own. "I was hoping you might be able to tell me that."

Harry held up his hands. "How would I know?"

Severus raised his eyebrows. "What's going on that I don't know about?"

Harry shook his head.

"None of the usual causes for magical restriction exist in you, Harry," Severus said. "As far as I know, there's no reason for you to have it."

"Is there room for error in that statement?" Harry asked.

"Yes, because I know I'm not too familiar with restriction and how it works."

Harry said nothing to that. He always thought Severus knew more than most wizards did, and even though he knew that the man wasn't some all-knowing person, it still shocked him when he found that Severus didn't know something. Sometimes it really bothered Harry to know this, because Severus was one of the three most knowledgeable people he knew.

"I am researching the causes," Severus said. "Perhaps I'll find something of use in those dusty volumes..." he trailed off, his eyes losing focus.

"Perhaps," Harry muttered. He set the parchment back on the table between them and got up. He could see Severus' eyes out of the corner of his own, watching him as he walked toward the door.

"Later," Harry said, and left.

A few hours later found Severus sitting cross-legged on the library floor, surrounded by various books. So far he hadn't found anything he hadn't already known about magical restriction, and he was becoming frustrated.

His stomach growled in protest as he went to pick up yet another tome. He hadn't eaten yet, and he knew it had to be nearly dinner time. He glanced up at the clock.

19:27.

Severus got a sudden chill down his spine as he stared at the clock. It was a chill that quickly settled in the pit of his stomach and refused to go away. He tried to shake it off, but he decided it wasn't really worth it, so he put it aside for later. He headed up to the Great Hall instead.

"Good evening, Severus," his father called, approaching the doors to the Main Hall as Severus walked through them.

"Good evening, father," Severus greeted neutrally. He wasn't in the mood to deal with his father's antics that evening.

"Lovely weather, isn't it?"

"Oh, charming," Severus said sarcastically. "If it gets any colder in this castle, blood will freeze."

Arsenius laughed. Just the sound made Severus want to curl up in front of a bonfire somewhere and drink himself to oblivion.

"You may be right, but not everyone has the strength that flows through the veins of the Snape line."

"Perhaps that is why we are often referred to as vampires," Severus smirked. His father laughed again.

"Ah, here comes Minerva," Arsenius said. "Good day."

Severus nodded, half ignoring the fact that his father had left the Hall. He remained standing by the Head Table, scanning the House tables while waiting for the Headmistress. He was surprised to see Harry at the Gryffindor table. He was sitting across from Granger and Severus noticed that he wasn't eating anything.

As if he knew someone was watching him, Harry looked up at Severus. Severus lifted his head slightly in acknowledgement and saw Harry's mouth curve a little before responding to something his friend was saying.

"We have a problem," Minerva said in a strange voice when she arrived at Severus' side.

Severus turned suddenly to look at her. The cold in his stomach became even more pronounced when he saw her pale face and slightly disheveled hair. Minerva McGonagall was rarely ever less than neatly presentable (y'all get the general idea).

"And what would that be?" he asked warily. He didn't like the look in her eyes.

"The Headmaster is…gone," she replied, still in that strange voice. Her eyes darted at each student present in the Hall.

Severus tilted his head. "Gone?" he repeated, louder than he'd intended. He noticed that the students nearest to them were looking at them and most likely listening as well.

"Gone," Minerva confirmed. "As in, beyond all return."

"No." Severus refused to believe his ears.

"Severus, he's completely vanished," Minerva said. She moved forward and laid her hand on his arm. "There's no evidence of any struggle or magical action. He just…disappeared."

Severus looked away. He could almost hear his own heart hammering in his chest cavity. He looked back over at Harry, who was frowning in his direction.

"Severus…"

He walked away from her, picking up his pace the further he went. He had to see for himself, had to go to Albus' office himself. He had to.

It only took a few minutes to get to the gargoyles. Having forgotten the new password, Severus whispered the emergency password.

"Xercius," and the gargoyles sprang aside. Severus paid no notice and raced up the staircase and into the office.

It was completely vacant. Severus knew by instinct that there was no finding Albus; he was gone. The question was, where?

'_Harry,'_ Severus thought frantically, though he knew Harry wouldn't hear him, _'where is he?'_

"I don't know," Harry's voice answered. Severus spun around and found Harry behind him.

"You—"

"Yea," Harry said, still frowning. "Apparently it's a developing talent of some sort, because I never could before."

Severus nodded.

"Voldemort doesn't have him," Harry said. "Neither do any of the Death Eaters."

"I didn't think so," Severus said. "The Dark Lord would have Summoned us all to watch."

"Hmph," Harry said, walking around Albus' desk to Fawkes. "Must be what he sees as amusement these days..." he trailed off, stroking the phoenix's head.

Severus watched the teenager with the bird. There was something peaceful about that scene...he shook his head.

"He's gone without a trace, has he?" Harry asked softly.

"Yes," Severus responded, settling himself in one of the chairs at the opposite side of the desk from Harry.

Harry turned to face his Potions Master. "Now what do we do?"

"Precisely what I was going to ask you."

Harry slumped down into the Headmaster's chair and put his head in his hands.

"What do we do?" he whispered.

Just a little lyric playing here...

_Father / I killed my monkey / I let it out to / taste the sweet of spring / wonder if I will wander out / test my tether to / see if I'm still free / from you / ...lately I'm into circuitry / what it means to be / made of you but not enough for you / _

From a Tori Amos song, "Bliss." I was listening to it when I wrote this chapter, and it reminded me of how Severus regards Arsenius as his father.

Sorry for the constant cliffies...or not. I feel bad for leaving at a rough spot sometimes, but isn't that why we keep reading? Hehe.

College started up last Monday for me. I'd like to get this story finished by the end of the year, but y'all know how I am when I get busy. In the meantime, I have to concoct the next chapter. I'm not sure how I want it to go.

TTFN :-P


	22. The Replacement

Grr! I hate not being able to finish things that I start. I started to write this chapter almost 2 months ago and I've barely made any progress on it since then.

**Shadow-Hawk Opal: **Yea it is unrealistic, but sometimes it does happen. They're wizards, so they can cover almost anything up with a few clever spells. No, Arsenius never raped Severus: he's too proud for anything like that. He was just overly abusive. He's not a Death Eater as far as anyone knows, but he's one of those that at least follows Voldemort from a distance, so to speak. As for the cutting that normally goes on, it just didn't seem right. Coming from an abusive childhood myself, I've never had the urge to physically harm myself, nor did I take a bunch of pills. What Harry and Severus do is a reflection of what I've done.  
**Lady Darkness13: **Thank you for supporting me on the whole Jade thing. Don't worry, things will be explained as I go along. I'm still trying to figure it out :-P

**Kelei:** Yea, I know. But remember: victims of abuse think that by telling, things will get worse because they've been threatened.

I just looked at Chapter 21 and it seems that my page breaks between scenes and stuff aren't showing up. Which sucks, cuz I know I'm putting them there, and I know I don't wanna have to use HTML coding to fix all that. Damn Microsoft.

On to the story.

Word passed quickly throughout the castle of the Headmaster's mysterious disappearance.

Harry wasn't sure how he felt about it. He was more than tired of Albus' games and plans, but having the old man gone left a void in Harry's life, in everyone's life. Without Albus, there was little hope of defeating Voldemort.

There wasn't a single smile on any of the Gryffindors' faces following the news of their headmaster's mysterious disappearance. The entire House was sitting in the common room, doing nothing but sitting there. Some were talking to one another in whispers while others were simply staring off into space. For several hours they all sat that way, until the portrait swung open. It was Professor McGonagall.

"Good evening," she said, clearly not meaning what she was saying. Some students muttered their acknowledgement in return.

"We have just received a post from the Ministry regarding our temporary headmaster," McGonagall continued, her nostrils flaring slightly as she unrolled the parchment in her hands. "'Approved by Cornelius Fudge, the following person has been elected to take the place of temporary headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: Arsenius Snape."

There was a shocked silence following these words. McGonagall scanned the room.

"I see that you are as pleased with this decision as I am," she noted. "However, we must go along with this, at least until the governors can find a more _suitable_ replacement." With that, she turned and left the room.

Almost immediately, everyone started talking.

"_Why?_" Lavender moaned. "Why _him_, of all people?"

"Great, just bleeding fabulous," Colin muttered from his armchair next to Harry and Ron.

Hermione looked at them. "Now what are we going to do?" She asked.

"There isn't much we can do," Ron said defeatedly. "The only thing we can do is hope he doesn't get any worse than he already was."

Harry didn't say anything. His mind was numb. His stomach churned just at the thought of the elder Snape holding the highest position in the castle. He would get no chances whatsoever, no matter what he did. Not only that, but he would have to face Arsenius' cruel treatments without a hope in the world of avoiding them.

Without saying goodnight, Harry rose from his chair and wandered up to the dorm. He didn't even bother changing before falling onto his bed.

"I can't believe this!" Severus exclaimed. All of the Hogwarts staff were gathered in the staffroom, excepting Arsenius. "Why!"

Madam Pompfrey shook her head sadly.

"Out of all the people they could have chosen to be Albus' temporary replacement, why in the heavens would they pick Arsenius?" Binns asked.

"Because the Ministry is biased, and the Minister is a bumbling fool," Minerva said.

"Shouldn't they have chosen you, Minerva?" Poppy asked. "You are the Deputy Headmistress, after all."

Severus frowned. "That's a good question," he said slowly, looking at Minerva, who shrugged.

"I don't know," she whispered. "But our main priority is to keep the students safe while giving them the education they need. We cannot forget that.

One by one, they left the room, shaking their heads and muttering in discontent. Severus was the last to leave, and it was with a heavy heart that he descended the stairs to the dungeons.

I'm sorry that this is so short, but I wanted to get something out before I put it off any longer. Also, I'm stuck trying to figure out what to write for this part, but I've gotten some ideas so I'm gonna see if I can put them to use.


	23. Beneath the Surface

23 – Beneath the Surface

It seemed as if a cloud of silence had stretched itself over the castle. Students passed through the halls speaking in whispers. Laughter was rarely heard, and when it was, the person who caused it immediately put an end to it.

N.E.W.T Potions was as dismal as ever. Severus didn't even bother having the class brew anything. He knew he should just continue on as though nothing had changed, but he couldn't see any reason for it. Instead, he set the students on a simple task out of the textbook.

Within a half hour, the class had finished. There was still nearly two hours left before the bell. Severus accepted the assignments as they came in, and simply sat at his desk, gazing at them all.

For ten minutes they all just stared at one another.

"You may leave for the library, if you wish," Severus said quietly. "However, I'd like to ask you three to remain behind," he nodded at Harry, Lileana and Setarina.

The others gathered their belongings and left, closing the door quietly.

"Harry, it's not you I need to speak to, but I wish for you to remain with me as much as possible, given recent events," Severus said, rising and moving to sit on the front of his desk. Harry nodded in understanding. Both looked over at the girls.

"Setarina, look at me," Severus said gently.

She raised her head slowly, as if not wanting to do what was requested of her. "Yes, sir?"

Severus shook his head. "As long as it is only the four of us in this room, I'm not your professor. I am Severus. Understood?"

The girls nodded.

"Is there something, anything, you want to tell me?" Severus asked.

Setarina opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it. Her gaze shifted to Harry's. For a few seconds, all of Harry's senses were drowned in pain and fear. He could hear someone crying faintly, and he felt like he'd been violated.

"_He did something unforgivable, irreversible…it's been four months."_

Harry broke the eye contact and stared at the stone floor.

Setarina looked back at Severus. "No. Nothing at all," she said before dropping her gaze. "May I leave?"

"Yes," Severus answered. Setarina grabbed her books and quickly left.

"How are you doing," Severus asked Lileana.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Honestly, I am. But she's not. And it hurts me more because I don't know what it is that could be tormenting my baby sister…" she trailed off. She stood up and looked around. "I think she took my books as well," she said, looking at Harry and Severus. "I'm going to go." With that, she left.

Severus turned to Harry.

"What, am I going to be questioned as well?" Harry asked.

"Actually, yes," Severus sighed. "What happened when she looked at you?"

"Don't you know what's wrong with her?" Harry asked, frowning.

Severus shook his head. "I didn't use Legilimency on her, in case there was something she truly didn't want me to know."

"_It's been four months…"_

"This is going to be complicated," Harry said slowly. "I don't even know where to begin on this."

"The beginning is usually a good place, Harry."

Harry shot Severus a glare. "This isn't funny, Severus."

"What is it?"

Harry hesitated. He wasn't sure how Severus was going to handle the news. In all honesty, he feared that nothing could be done about it, because Arsenius was now Headmaster.

"Harry?"

He met Severus' gaze. "She's carrying his child."

"Harry!"

He looked around to see Setarina coming towards him. He let Severus go ahead a bit so he could talk to her.

"Please," she whispered frantically. "Please don't let him tell anyone else. It has to stay between the three of us."

"But what about your sister?" Harry asked her.

She glanced over to Severus, who was watching them. "I don't know how to tell her, Harry." She began to cry. "She's my older sister, but I don't know what to say to explain…how do you explain something as—as horrifying— " she broke off, sobbing.

"Come here," Harry whispered, gathering the poor girl in his arms and holding her tightly. "It's going to be okay. Really, it is."

"How, when he keeps doing it, over and over again?" She cried into his shoulder. "He finds excuses to give me detention and— "

"Shh," Harry whispered. "You don't have to tell me. I already know. I know everything, Setarina." He closed his eyes and swayed them back and forth, knowing nothing but the smell of her hair.

When her cries subsided, Harry moved back just enough to raise her chin towards him. Gently he wiped the tear stains from her face.

"Go to your dormitory," he said softly. "I'll send an owl telling you when and where to meet me."

She nodded and left without a word.

Harry turned to Severus and joined him down the hall.

"Whatever you have up your sleeve, Harry," the older man said, "do not break her heart."

Harry stopped walking and looked up at Severus. "What do you mean?"

Severus sighed.

"I know with whom your heart truly lies, Harry," he said, tracing the younger man's jaw. "No matter what takes place between you and her, I know you'll be coming home to me."

Harry said nothing. He wasn't sure he understood Severus' words, but he knew the meaning would come to him in time.

Harry sat in the Astronomy Tower, overlooking the grounds that evening. He had just sent Hedwig to Setarina mere moments before and was slightly nervous as to what the evening would bring. The moon was full and the skies were clear. It was quite warm for late February, but it didn't matter.

"Harry?"

He turned to find Setarina behind him. She was dressed in black from the hooded cloak to the dress underneath. As she sat down next to him, he could see her just barely protruding belly and reached out to caress it. Looking at her face, he watched her eyes close and heard her sigh.

"Setarina…" he whispered. She opened her eyes. "Are you sure you want to continue with this?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "Perhaps it will make this whole thing easier for me."

"It should help," Harry replied. "But— "

She put a finger to his lips. "Listen," she said. "Listen to the night. Let nature pour over your senses. Let it guide you."

He closed his eyes and let his body relax. He could feel the wind blowing through his hair and he could hear the trees moving in the Forest. He could also smell Setarina's hair, quite strongly, and he opened his eyes. She lifted her gaze to his as he moved closer to her.

"You're sure?" He asked again.

She smiled and shook her head, bringing her hand up behind his neck. "No," she said, pulling his head down to hers and whispered the last words into his mouth, "but why the hell not?"

It was a kiss that shattered his defenses, and if he hadn't been sitting, it would have knocked Harry off his feet. He could feel a warm sensation flowing through his bloodstream into all areas of his body. His mind was numb, and when he broke away for air, he could barely breathe.

Only Severus had ever done more than that to him.

That thought made Harry momentarily freeze.

"Are you alright?" Setarina asked him. He looked at her.

"_No matter what takes place… I know you'll be coming home to me."_

Now he understood what Severus meant.

"Yes," he whispered, caressing her belly again. His eyes traveled over her body until they met hers again. She took his hand and brought it up to her swelling breasts and pressed her hand on top of his. He squeezed gently and she let out a soft moan. Just the sound made him hard, and he realized he wanted to be inside of her. Desperately.

She kissed him again as he lowered her to the ground and held himself above her. She pulled him down on top of her, lifting her legs, making them closer. Her dress settled around her hips and he could feel through his robe that she wasn't wearing anything underneath. He knew she could feel him pressing against her.

"Harry," she moaned in his ear. He could feel her shake underneath him and hear her shallow breathing.

"Hm?" He wasn't doing much better.

"I want you," she whispered.

He lifted her dress up and over her head, tossing it aside. Taking a full look at her, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And yes, despite her age, she was a woman because she was carrying a child inside her.

He bowed his head over her chest and took one of her breasts into his mouth. Setarina quivered under him as he suckled her. He moved to the other breast and gave it the same treatment. Her body's reactions encouraging him, he began a trail of kisses up her neck until he reached her ear, while his hands explored further below. When his fingers entered her, she clutched his shoulders and moved up as if trying to bring him closer to her.

"Harry, please," she moaned.

At that point, he was so hard that it was beginning to hurt him. He didn't try to resist as she yanked his robes over his head, nor did he pull away when she reached for him. When her hand closed around him, he let out a gasp.

"Setarina," he whispered into her mouth. She alone knew what she was doing, and Harry thought he would be too clumsy with her if he tried to do it without her help. However, he was proven wrong when she moved her hand. He let his instincts control his body. At the same time, he pushed himself in and she pushed herself up. He felt himself hit the end a little harder than he'd intended to, and through the maze of desire that engulfed his brain, he heard Setarina cry out in pleasure.

For the next half hour or so, however long it was, all he could hear were her soft cries and his moaning. And when he came, the only thing in his mind was her face and her voice crying out his name……

Severus heard the door open from a very far away place in his head. In actuality, it wasn't that far at all, or so he thought, but then again, he had been dreaming for sometime.

He'd been asleep as long as Harry had been asleep. Severus knew everything that had gone on in the Tower, he'd felt it as if it were he himself that was doing it.

He sighed. He'd forgotten what it felt like to be with a woman.

Harry was his first and only male lover. It surprised Severus how easy making love to another man had come to him the previous winter. Maybe it was something in Harry that made it easier. Then again, he was also Harry's first and only.

Someone stumbled into the room, snapping Severus to his senses and making him look up.

"Harry?"

"Huh?" He was obviously disoriented. So much so that he literally fell over and landed on Severus' lap. "Oh, shit."

Severus laughed. "Are you drunk as well, Harry?"

Harry's deep green eyes looked into Severus'.

"No, I am not drunk, although I think what I've just done deserves more than drunkenness."

Severus laughed harder.

"Sev?"

"Yes?"

"It's been far too long," Harry said, his voice husky. He wove his fingers into Severus' hair.

Severus looked deep into Harry's eyes. He could see the long-buried hunger that Harry had for him. Just the look in his eyes made Severus want to devour him. It made him hard thinking about it, and Harry just happened to be sitting dead on it.

"Go ahead," Harry said, displaying his newly acquired ability to read minds. "I won't stop you. Devour me, dominate me, take me, possess me, and expose me. Turn me inside out without mercy and torture me." He leaned towards Severus' ear. "Fuck me," he whispered.

Severus let out a growl as he picked Harry up and brought him into the bedchamber. As he crawled onto the bed and towered over Harry, he brought his head down to the younger man's ear.

"You're mine," he hissed.

Well, there it is. Looking forward to the comments that result from this 


	24. Irreversible and Unforgiven

Well, my laptop is now, um, fixed. I figured out that the battery didn't want to charge, so I have to carry this damn power cord everywhere with me.

Anyways, thanks for your patience and sorry for such a long wait. Thankfully I have help with this part of the story from my fiancé, who like most men, has a vivid sexual imagination.

On to the story.

**24 – Irreversible and Unforgiven**

Setarina walked back to the dorm as quickly as she could without attracting the attention of Filch and his cat, or even worse, the newly appointed Headmaster. That was the last thing she needed, though she doubted the rotten man would be awake so late. Then again, you never know.

Within minutes she was safe in her dorm, quietly changing out of her clothes and into a bathrobe. After a few minutes in the shower, she was ready for bed. She was looking forward to getting a decent night's sleep.

'Hopefully dream-free,' she thought. 'Or at least free of Him in my dreams.'

As she drifted off to sleep, she braced herself for the inevitable.

For everyone knows, not every wish comes true…

DREAM SEQUENCE

"Come here, Miss Evanis."

She walked towards him hesitantly. His mere presence made her insides recoil.

With a flick of his wand, the door snapped shut and locked. Then he removed his outer robe, leaving him in trousers and a short sleeved shirt. Finally he turned and moved to stand in front of her.

"Do you drink?" he asked her.

She frowned. "I'm still underage. I can't drink."

"Not entirely true," Arsenius said, flicking his wand again. A pair of double shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey appeared on his desk. "You can, just not legally."

He poured whiskey into both glasses and handed one to her. "Drink up," he said softly. "It won't kill you, rest assured."

Setarina looked at her glass for a minute.

"Go on," Arsenius urged her. He took her hand and raised it towards her mouth, tipping the glass slightly. "Drink."

She couldn't stop him, so she took a sip. It tasted sour as it went down and she made a face.

"Too strong for you, my dear?" Arsenius asked silkily.

"No, not at all," Setarina lied.

Arsenius tipped her glass again.

"More."

She shook her head. "No thanks," she said, backing off.

He grabbed the back of her neck and brought her towards him, while still holding the glass at her mouth. "More," he said again, this time more forcefully.

She took another sip, nearly gagging at the taste.

"That's a good girl," he whispered. "Now finish the glass."

She figured that it would be all over with the sooner she finished what was left in the glass, so she took it from him and threw the whiskey back in her throat, swallowing it before it could have too much of an effect on her.

But instead of leaving it at that, Setarina watched as Arsenius took the glass from her and filled it again.

"More," he said, holding it up to her.

She shook her head and started to move away, but he grabbed the back of her neck again. This time he brought her even closer.

"Drink, or suffer the consequences," he growled. "Now."

His grip tightened slightly as she tried to resist. The glass tipped further towards her mouth.

"Drink it!" he commanded. Reluctantly, she obeyed. She could feel her stomach turning over, and she was starting to get dizzy. She watched as he poured yet another glass of whiskey, downed it, filled it up again and held it out to her.

"No, please," she begged. "No more. I don't like it."

"I don't care if you don't like it," Arsenius hissed. "You're going to drink it. Or else."

He held her head so that it was tilted back and tipped the whiskey into her mouth. Then he rubbed on the front of her neck to make her swallow it. She moaned in disgust.

"I don't care," he said, pouring a fifth glass and repeating the process. By the time he finished pouring that down her, her eyes were slightly glazed and she was having a hard time holding herself up.

"No more," she moaned.

"Alright, I'll stop," Arsenius said in an uncharacteristically kind voice.

She looked at him. She knew she wasn't drunk, but she knew that she had enough alcohol in her system to keep her from being completely lucid. She watched as he stoppered the whiskey and put it aside. Flicking his wand, the lights dimmed.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"That's none of your concern, is it?" he replied. She could feel his breath in front of her face, his hands on her neck, tilting her head up towards his. The next thing she knew, his mouth was on hers and he was pressing her body against his own.

She started to struggle against him, tearing her mouth from his.

"No," she cried out, pushing him away. She tried to banish him, but he didn't even move. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her violently into the nearest wall.

"Your powers will not work against me, Setarina," he hissed into her ear. "I know how to block them, and you aren't sober enough to control them."

She tried to struggle more, but he pressed himself harder on her.

"No," he growled. "You'll do as I say, or I will punish you."

"No—" Her words were cut short by the pressure of his hand against her throat.

"Yes. You will do whatever I want you to do. Do you understand me?"

She shook her head. He pulled her from the wall and brought her forcefully down to the floor. Grabbing her wrists, he muttered an incantation, binding her hands to the floor.

"Yes," he said, pulling a small switchblade out and flipping it open. He slit her robes open to reveal a tight, low-neck black shirt and a black skirt. Quickly he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Then he removed his trousers.

"No, please, stop," she pleaded.

He traced the tip of the blade from the bottom of her shirt up to her neck. "No," he said. "Silence."

She felt him run the blade tip under her shirt, around her belly and she felt a strange sensation from it. He moved his hand up her shirt, grasping her breast and squeezing it while pushing it up at the same time until it came out of the top of her shirt. Suddenly he cut her shirt open and tossed it aside. Then he ripped her bra off and put his mouth over her nipple and began sucking on it.

It was a feeling she'd never experienced. It hurt and felt good at the same time, more so the harder he sucked.

Taking her erratic breathing as a sign that he was on the right track, he traced the knife down her stomach and along her inner thigh under the skirt.

He then slowly pulled her skirt up to her belly.

"Wha-what are you doing?" Setarina asked.

"Don't worry," Arsenius whispered. "I'll try to be gentle."

"What do you mean—no!" Her cries were muffled as a cloth appeared from nowhere and was placed over her mouth.

Arsenius moved the knife to her throat.

"If you do not cooperate, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Good," Arsenius whispered. He took the cloth away from her mouth.

He forced her onto her knees and pried her mouth open. She struggled against him, but he held her still, and slid himself into her mouth. He pushed himself towards the back of her throat, and then pulled out of her mouth slightly before repeating the motion.

"Moan," he instructed her. She shook her head and tried to pull off of him, but his hands held her head still.

"I said, moan!" She started to moan as he shoved himself down the back of her throat, gagging her.

For ten minutes she endured this seemingly endless torture. Finally, she felt him spasm in her mouth and a warm liquid shot down her throat, making her choke. He brought himself out of her mouth, turned her around on her knees and pushed her forward to the ground. Roughly, he brought her hips up and rubbed his penis against her clitoris. Suddenly he shoves himself inside her and slams into her cervix.

Setarina cried out in pain. Arsenius yanked her head back by her hair.

"Shut up!" He hissed. "You know you want this, so just shut up."

Setarina felt like he would never stop. After what seemed like forever, Arsenius came inside her. He shoved her down to the floor and bound her so she couldn't move. Not that she could if she wanted to. And that was how he left her for several hours.


End file.
